Deeper An Instant StarJommy Fanfic
by btru2u
Summary: Jude Harrison is in a car accident and her life passes before she eyes. She sees every detail of the love story that changed her life and caused her to believe that true love does exist.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters in this story.

Deeper (The Introduction)

It was a beautiful winter day, the snow was falling all around as the couple were riding down an isolated country road. Jude has never felt so content in her entire life. It seemed as if everything was finally going her way. She was in love with the most amazing man she had ever met and she was hoping that tonight would be the night that he would propose to her.

Jude was lost in her thoughts when the car began to spin out of control. The temperature had dropped and the snow had turned to ice. Images of her life began to flash before her eyes. She saw herself as little girl, a teenager, then as a rock star. It seemed almost like the images stopped for a moment, but then it was as if a story started to play in her mind. This story was her favorite story, it was THEIR love story, and this is how it all began…………

Chapter 1: He walked in.

A few weeks after Jude's seventeenth birthday, she was sitting in G Major playing her guitar. She was working on a song but was having a little trouble finishing the lyrics and that's when it happened. He walked through the studio doors. He had on his classic black leather jacket and dark shades. He was surrounded by screaming and giggling girls. It got so bad that G Major Security had to step in and ask the mob to leave. Jude thought to herself that things were never going to be the same at the studio anymore. Not now that Lil' Tommy Q had joined the label.

Tommy has not been touring with Boyz Attack for years but his fans had not forgotten him. Neither had the tabloids, every week there were stories and pictures posted on their front pages. Tommy was still a very hot celebrity. Everyone wanted to know what he is doing. Well, everyone except Jude Harrison.

Of course, Jude was not the type of girl to fall all over ex- boy banders.

But she could not deny that there was just something about his presence that changed the whole atmosphere of G Major. Tommy was heading toward the office of Darius Mills, the man in charge of the studio, when he stopped all of the sudden and looked at Jude. His face had no expression at all, Jude definitely had no idea what he was thinking.

Jude finally said, "Hi." Tommy just gave her one last look and walked into Darius's office. Jude wondered what was up with Tommy Quincy? He could of at least said something. Jude decided not to think too much into it, she didn't really like him that much anyway.

Jude's sister Sadie saw what happened and came up behind her and said, "Well, that wasn't awkward at all, was it?"

Jude glared at Sadie, then replied, "Oh shut up, don't you have some receptionist work to get back to?" And with that Sadie went back to her desk and left Jude alone to finish her song.

A few weeks had gone by since Tommy Q had joined G Major. Jude hadn't really seen him that much since Tommy was working on his first solo album since he left Boyz Attack. Kwest (Kevin West), was his producer, as well as hers, so most of the time when Tommy was at the studio, Jude wasn't. Which suited her fine because Tommy still hadn't said a word to Jude and she was willing to keep it that way.

Well, as fate would have it, Jude and Tommy wouldn't be able to avoid each other much longer. Darius had asked to see both Jude and Tommy on the same day and he wanted to talk to them together.

Kwest had told Darius about Jude's new song. It was really great but was still missing something. Kwest thought that it would be great as a duet between Jude and Tommy. Darius listened to the song and he agreed. This song would be able to kick start Tommy's solo career and give Jude's album a boost in record sales.

Jude had not been looking forward to talking to Darius or seeing Tommy. Neither were her favorite people to be around. But never the less Jude did what she had to do and went to the meeting. Tommy was of course late and Darius did not want to start without him. Tommy finally walked through the door.

Darius said, "Hey Tom, I am glad you could make it."

Jude glared at Tommy and then said to Darius, "Glad he could make it! He is thirty minutes late." Tommy just smirked at her.

Darius told Jude to calm down so they could begin. Jude was upset but decided to let it go. Then sooner the meeting began, the sooner she could get away from Tommy Quincy.

Darius explained to them that he had listened to Jude's new song and that he wanted it to be a duet between them.

Tommy was less than thrilled. "I don't do duets Darius."

Jude was furious."What makes you think that I would want to sing with you? It's my song and I don't want it to be a duet."

Darius let them both know that he was the boss and he wasn't asking them, he was telling them. "You both better be here tomorrow at 8:00am ready to start recording with Kwest."

Tommy said, "Fine."

Jude nodded, "Whatever," and they both left the office and walked out the studio going their separate ways, that is until tomorrow.

The next morning, 8:00am came way too early for Jude. She stopped to get a cup of coffee and hurried to the studio. She didn't want to be late and risk Darius getting upset with her. When Jude arrived she was very surprised to see that Tommy was already there and waiting on her. She set her coffee down on the soundboard and sat down between him and Kwest.

"Can we get started, so we can get this over with." Tommy was a real ray of sunshine that morning.

Jude replied, "Sure, it's not like I am ecstatic over the chance to be working with you. I mean, it's not like the songs from Boyz Attack had a deep meaning. I doubt that you can even understand my song."

Tommy laughed and said sarcastically, "What's to understand? You're a girl and you wrote a song, It's probably about a guy who broke your heart, blah, blah, blah."

Jude was so mad that she could hold her composure. She smacked the cup of coffee and it landed in Tommy's lap and spilled all over his pants. He growled something at her and ran out of the room heading straight for the restroom. Jude stood there laughing so hard that she was doubled over.

Kwest was less than amused, "You shouldn't have done that Jude. Tommy can be a real pain, but that was not cool." Kwest left to go talk to Tommy.

Jude did feel a little bit bad about what she did but Tommy insulted her and her song writing ability and no one, absolutely no one does that.

Tommy was in the bathroom cleaning himself up when Kwest walked in.

"You okay, man?" Tommy actually had an amused expression on his face, "Yeah, I'm alright. I can't believe she did that. I just didn't expect that from her. She sure does have a temper. She's pretty cute when she's mad."

Kwest shook his head. "Don't even think about it, she's only seventeen and you are twenty-four. You don't need to mess with her head and then turn around and break her heart."

Tommy gave Kwest a quick glance, "I was just making a statement, I never said that I was interested. She is way to young for me. Let's just go back and record. Okay?"

Kwest wasn't sure what to make of Tommy's "statement." He knew his old friend and was wondering if he had changed at all over the past few years. He followed Tommy out of the bathroom and headed down the hall to Studio A.

Jude was still upset about what Tommy said but she had since calmed down and was ready to start recording when Kwest and Tommy had returned. Jude decided that she would be the better person and apologize, "I am sorry for the coffee, I should be able to control my temper. I won't let it happen again."

Tommy looked at Jude, "Don't worry about. I"ll survive. I shouldn't have said anything about your song. I am sorry too. Let's just get started."

She gave Tommy a smile and handed him a copy of her song. Tommy quietly looked at the song. He could not believe how amazing the lyrics were. He had heard Jude's songs on the radio but never before had he realized how truly talented she really was.

Kwest stood there waiting for the two to get started, "Guys are you ready?"

Tommy and Jude both said yes and stepped behind the microphones. They put on their headsets and the melody filled their ears. Jude closed her eyes and Tommy stared at her as she began to sing. (I do not own "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown.)

**Jude**: If I should die before I wake

It's cause you took my breath away

Losing you is like living in a world with no air, oh

**Tommy**: I'm here alone, didn't wanna leave

My heart won't move, it's incomplete

Wish there was a way that I can make you understand

**Jude**: But how Do you expect me, to live alone with just me?

'Cause my world revolves around you It's so hard for me to breathe

**Both**: Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air?

Can't live, can't breathe with no air

That's how I feel whenever you ain't there

There's no air, no air Got me out here in the water so deep T

ell me how you gon be without me? If you ain't here, I just can't breathe

There's no air, no air No air air, No air air No air air, No air air

**Tommy**: I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew,

Right off the ground to flow to you T

here's no gravity to hold me down, for real

**Jude**: But somehow I'm still alive inside

You took my breath but I survived

I don't know how but I don't even care

**Both**: So how do you expect me, to live alone with just me?

'Cause my world revolves around you

It's so hard for me to breathe

**Both:** Tell me how I'm supposed to breath with no air?

Can't live, can't breathe with no air

That's how I feel whenever you ain't there

There's no air, no air

When they finished the song, Tommy felt like he couldn't breathe. Watching Jude sing and put so much emotion into her song literally took his breath away. Kwest noticed the way Tommy was looking at Jude and he suggested that the two take a break before they recorded anything else.

Jude turned to look at Tommy, but he was already out the door. Jude gave Kwest a funny look, "What was that about?" Kwest just shrugged his shoulders. Jude had no idea of the effect she just had on Lil' Tommy Q.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters in this story.

_**I wanted to say thanks to the following people who left me reviews: ghettobabe510, saderia, theonlywhitegirl, raph33, mom2alandbec, and thinkpink14128. Thank you all for reading my story. Please read and review this chapter too. I really appreciate all feed back**._

_Chapter 2: Boyfriend???_

Tommy needed to get some air. He headed out the back door of G Major and ended up in an alley. Tommy felt as if he couldn't quite think straight. What was going on in his head? He had just met this girl and he had barely spoken to her. Why was she having this effect on him? Her voice, her eyes, her very existence was making it hard to concentrate on anything else at this point. Tommy told himself to snap out of it, she was only seventeen and this could not be happening.

While Tommy was outside thinking, Jude was talking to Sadie. She told her about what happened with Tommy earlier with the verbal bashing, the coffee, the apologies, the song, and then Tommy's sudden exit. Jude was very confused at this point, "Maybe he is still upset with me. I apologized and so did he, but I guess he didn't get over it as fast as I thought he had."

Sadie tried not to laugh. She could just imagine Tommy with his pants soaking wet with coffee. "Wow, Jude, you really know how to make a lasting impression on a guy. What are you going to do next, dump ice down his pants?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny Sadie. I am trying to be serious here. If I am going to have to record with him, I don't want things to be weird between us." Jude couldn't help but think that something must be wrong. Tommy had been gone a long time.

Sadie stared at the blank look on Jude's face. She knew that look and figured that Jude must have been in deep thought. "Jude, if you want to know where he is, why don't you go find him and see what is going on." As much as she didn't want to admit it, Sadie was right. Jude needed to go find Tommy and try to fix this.

Jude asked around and finally found out that Tommy had went out the back door. Jude opened the door to find Tommy sitting on the steps with his head in his hands. She thought that maybe his head was hurting. "Got a headache?" she asked.

At the sound of her voice, Tommy head shot up, " No…I…uh…it….umm." Great he thought, now I can't even put together a coherent sentence.

Jude asked, "Are you okay? I thought you might still be upset about what happened earlier."

Tommy tried to think of something to say. He had to come up with something, he didn't want to her know what he was really thinking. So he said the only thing he could come up with, "No, I just had to get some air, I'm claustrophobic."

Jude looked at Tommy kind of strangely and opened her mouth to say something when she heard someone call her name. Before she could turn around to see who it was, she was picked up off the ground and thrown over someone's shoulder.

Jude knew that only one person would do that to her. It had to be Spied, her lead guitarist and best friend. Jude could see her other bandmates, Wally and Kyle, coming up behind her. She couldn't believe what odd timing this guys have. Jude thought that she saw something in Tommy's eyes when he told her he was claustrophobic, she wanted to find out if there was more to his story but now she wouldn't get the chance.

"Spied, you're such a jerk. Put me down!" screamed Jude. "Oh Jude, you know you love me." With that remark, Spied carried Jude into G Major, while Wally and Kyle followed close behind.

Tommy was left wondering what was going on. He thought that maybe Spied could be Jude's boyfriend. He thought he sensed some kind of weird vibe between them. He didn't know Jude very well and he certainly did not know whether she had a boyfriend or not. It really wasn't any of his business and he knew that he shouldn't really care either. But he did and that was the problem.

Meanwhile, back inside G Major, Spied had carried Jude all the way into the lobby before he put her down. Then he asked her, "Jude, since when do you hang out in the back alley?" To that Wally added, "With Lil' Tommy Q?"

"The master of the perfect do," chimed in Kyle, while he was doing some weird karate moves to try to put emphasis on the word master.

Jude just rolled her eyes. She stood there looking at her back up band, Spiederman Mind Explosion, wondering why they have to be so stupid sometimes. "Guys, you know that I am doing a duet with him. I am going to have to actually speak to him. What's the big deal?"

Spied tried to pick his words carefully, "It's not a big deal. I mean it's just Tommy Quincy, he doesn't seem like the type you normally hang out with."

Jude laughed, "Wow, Spied, you almost sound like you're jealous." Kyle nudged Wally and said in a low voice, "She has no idea." Spied shot Kyle an evil look, "Let's just drop it. Alright?"

Jude was glad to end the conversation, she headed back to the alley to see if Tommy was ready to record but he was no where to be found.

Tommy left G major without saying a word to anyone. He thought that maybe a drive would clear his head. He had to get Jude off of his mind.

He hadn't got very far when his cell phone rang. It was Kwest calling to see where he was. "Tommy, where are you man? You are supposed to be recording with Jude right now." Tommy sighed, "I know, I just needed a break. Can you cover for me? I'll come in first thing tomorrow." Kwest didn't want to but of course he said that he would.

Kwest found Jude and told her to go ahead and call it a day. He told her to come in early tomorrow to start recording with Tommy again. Jude asked if Tommy was okay. Kwest told her that Tommy just needed to take care of an appointment he had forgotten about. Jude didn't question him, she just went home and decided to get some rest.

The next morning, Jude and Tommy pulled their cars into the parking lot at the same time. Tommy was hoping to have a few minutes to settle into the studio before Jude arrived. The drive he took the day before didn't help him at all. He still couldn't get Jude out of his head and now here she was standing right in front of him. He decided to put on his sunglasses to try to conceal the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Jude walked up to Tommy and said, "Hey." Tommy immediately tensed up at the sound of her voice. He did not want to give himself away, so he just looked away and replied, "Morning." Tommy started toward the front door of the studio when Jude grabbed his arm. Her touch sent chills up Tommy's spine.

Jude's eyes were pleading, "Tommy, is everything okay………between us. I was hoping that we could move past what happened yesterday. You left so suddenly and it made me wonder if you were still upset with me." Tommy did not know how he was going to hold himself together today. Being upset with Jude was the farthest away from what he was feeling right now.

Tommy thought for a few seconds about how to respond. Tommy took a deep breath, "No, everything is fine. I just had a few things to take care of , besides, after you were swept off your feet yesterday by your boyfriend, I figured you could use a break too." Tommy waited for Jude's response.

Jude gave him a confused look and was trying to figure out who the heck Tommy was talking about. When she didn't respond, Tommy thought that meant it was true. Jude must be dating Spied. He was disappointed but tried not to let it show, "Why don't we just go inside and get to work?" Jude nodded her head and walked into the studio still trying to comprehend what Tommy had just said to her.

Jude still didn't quite understand the conversation she just had with Tommy. "What is he talking about? Boyfriend? Sweeping me off my feet?" Jude was so confused. She was following Tommy down the hallway toward the sound booth when Sadie walked by.

Sadie glanced at Jude and recognized the look on Jude's face, "Jude could I speak with you a moment?" Sadie's voice interrupted Jude's thoughts. "Okay. Uh, Tommy you go ahead and I"ll be there in a minute." Tommy simply said okay and went to find Kwest.

Sadie grabbed Jude's arm and pulled into the ladies' restroom, "Okay, spill. What is going on with you and Tommy?" Jude gave her a very honest answer, "I don't know. He mentioned something about my boyfriend sweeping me off my feet yesterday and me needing a break."

Now Sadie was confused, "Boyfriend, where did he get that? What happened after you went to talk to him in the alley?" Jude tried to think, "Well, I went to see if he was okay and he told me that he was claustrophobic and then…" That's when it finally hit Jude, she understood who Tommy thought she was dating.

Sadie was waiting for Jude to finish her sentence, "And then what?" Jude laughed, "Then Spied came up and threw me over his shoulder and carried me back inside. Oh my god! Tommy thinks that I am dating Spied. That's hilarious!" This thought literally cracked Jude up.

Back in the sound booth, Kwest was left with a very distressed Tommy. Kwest knew that something was up with him and he had seen this look before and he was hoping that the look wasn't for a certain someone. "Listen man, I told you not to go there. Now just look at yourself."

Tommy acted like he didn't know what Kwest was referring to, "What? Go where?" Kwest was getting annoyed, "You know exactly who I am talking about and that would be Jude."

Just the sound of her name made Tommy want to smile but he couldn't let Kwest know that. He just said, "Come on, I told you that I wasn't interested. I'm just having an off morning. I just need a cup of coffee." Kwest smirked, "Coffee, huh? That's how this all started. Who knew coffee had so much power?"

Tommy grinned at the thought of Jude smacking her coffee into his lap. What a way to get someone's attention, but it worked. Jude definitely had gotten _his_ attention.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters in the show._

_**(Note: Thanks again for all the comments. They really make my day)**_

Chapter 3: A Good Excuse

Jude was headed back to the sound booth when Spied came up from behind her, "What's up, Dude?" Jude hated it when Spied called her dude, "My name is Jude not dude." Spied loved to get under Jude's skin, "I know that. Anyway, do you want to meet me and the guys for lunch today? We wanted to talk about getting a rehearsal space." Jude thought that was a good idea, "Sure. I'll meet you at 1:00."

Tommy was staring at Jude through the glass walls of the sound booth. Kwest shook his head, "Oh yeah, you're not interested. You see her talking to another guy and you go all gooey." Tommy gave Kwest an offended look, "Hey, Tommy Q does not go gooey over anyone." But Tommy knew he was lying, one look at Jude and that's exactly how he felt. Gooey.

Jude walked through the doors and asked, "Are we ready to go?" Kwest looked at Tommy, "You ready?" Tommy without much enthusiasm said, "Sure, let's get started."

Kwest took his seat behind the soundboard and started the background track. Jude and Tommy listened to the music flowing through the headphones. Jude came in perfectly on her cue. Tommy on the other hand missed his. Kwest restarted the music again but this time Tommy's voice actually cracked a little bit during the chorus of the song. Tommy was having a very hard time concentrating and his voice was showing it.

It had been two hours of recording and they still weren't finished with the vocals. Jude finally started picking on Tommy and trying to get him to loosen up. He was surprised when it actually started to work. They were laughing and having a good time. He was feeling more comfortable around her and was able to actually sing the song and put some emotion into the words.

Kwest was eager to get the background vocals recorded as well, but it was getting to be lunchtime and he knew everyone was probably hungry. "How about we take lunch right now?" Jude was starving, "Yes, please. I am famished." She started to walk out the door when Tommy stopped her, "Hey do you want to order something in? We could just eat here and then record some more."

Jude wanted to stay but she knew she had to meet Spied, "I would like to but I have to go meet Spied. He asked me to eat lunch with him today." Tommy was disappointed, "Oh, Spied, huh? Well maybe another time."

Jude said, "Sure, another time." She thought she might have hurt his feelings. She wondered if he could possibly be jealous. She started to walk out but then turned around and said his name, "Tommy." He took a deep breath, "Yeah, Jude?"

Her eyes were shining as she simply stated, "I just thought I'd let you know…Spied's not my boyfriend." With those words, she was out the door and Tommy knew that he was in for trouble.

Jude was walking down the street to meet Spied at his favorite pizza place. While she was walking, she was thinking about Tommy. Why would he think that she was dating Spied? And even if she was, why would he care anyway? So many questions were going through her mind. Then she decided to not think too much into what happened with Tommy. She figured that she wasn't his type and there was the whole age difference, so it would probably be for the best if she just didn't think about it.

Jude walked into Jon's Pizza, yes, that it the name of Spied's favorite place to eat. He is so weird. Anyway, she was surprised to see that even though she was running late, Spied was the only one there. "Hey, where's Wally and Kyle? I thought we were all going to talk about getting a place where we could rehearse. This isn't much of a band meeting."

Spied got really nervous all of the sudden. He knew why Wally and Kyle weren't there but he couldn't tell her that. They weren't there because he hadn't asked them to be. Spied wanted to spend some time with Jude that didn't include bandmates or G Major. He wanted to be with her alone.

Spied tried to come up with a good excuse, "They had to take Kyle's iguana to the vet, it just got really sick all of the sudden." Jude shuddered at the thought of the iguana. That thing made her skin crawl but so did Wally and Kyle sometimes. "Oh, well that's too bad. I hope everything's turns out alright." Jude really didn't know what else to say.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and talk about rehearsal spaces later. But we can still go ahead and eat." Spied wanted to change the subject fast, he didn't like to lie to Jude but he didn't want to leave yet either. He wanted to know what was going on with her and Tommy. He always thought that Jude didn't like guys like him, but when they were in the alley together, they seemed rather friendly.

"So how's the duet with Tommy Q going?" Spied asked. At the mention of his name, Jude immediately began to smile. She told her self to get a grip and just answer the question, "It's going pretty well. We should be finished in a few days. You know, he is really different that I thought he would be. He's not nearly as conceited as he lets on."

Spied couldn't help but think that she was just a little too happy when she talked about Tommy. He was hoping that he would tell him that working with Tommy was horrible and his attitude was so much worse than she ever imagined.

Jude began to laugh, "You want to hear something funny?" Spied was hoping it was about something besides Tommy, "Of course, you know I love to laugh. What is it?" Jude really didn't think before she spoke, "Tommy thought that you and I were dating. Isn't that crazy?" Spied felt crushed but her didn't want her to know that, with a forced laugh he replied, "Yeah, crazy."

The waitress brought their food and the rest of the time they spent together was rather quiet. Jude seemed lost in thought, which was nothing new for her and Spied just felt sick. After Jude finished eating, Spied paid for the meal and the two headed back to G Major.

After Jude left for lunch, Kwest came into the sound booth and sat down beside Tommy. "For a guy who's not interested, you lit up like a freakin' Christmas tree when she said that Spied wasn't her boyfriend. You want to let me in on something, Tom." Oh no, Tommy knew that Kwest only called him Tom when he was really serious.

Tommy didn't like lying to Kwest and he really didn't see much point since he knew him well enough to see through all of his lies anyway. "I don't know what to say. Jude is not like anyone I've ever met. She has this energy and drive that just astounds me. Her voice is amazing and I could get lost in those blue eyes. What am I going to do?"

Kwest thought a minute and then said, "Nothing. You are going to do absolutely nothing. She is too young and inexperienced for you. Just keep things on a friendly basis and hopefully your feelings will go away. If that doesn't work then I have two words for you. Jail…bait."

Those words struck Tommy hard. Although Jude was seventeen, she seemed so much more mature than her age. But the fact remained that she was underage and that did propose a problem. Tommy decided that he would just ignore his feelings or at least not let Jude know about them. He could do that. Right?

Kwest knew Tommy was starting over think the situation, "Listen, let's go get something to eat. You're going to need your strength if you are going to fight off your feelings for Jude. Tommy shot Kwest a wicked look, "Very funny. Let' s just get out of here for a while. I need a break." Kwest agreed, "Sound's like a plan to me." Then they left to get some food and let Tommy recuperate a little before he saw Jude again.

Tommy and Kwest came back just before Jude walked through door with Spied. Kwest whispered to Tommy, "Be strong man." Tommy couldn't help but feel jealous when he saw Jude and Spied together.

Tommy saw the way that Spied was looking at Jude and he wasn't very happy about it. He could tell that Spied had feelings for her but what Tommy didn't know was that Spied also saw the way Tommy looked at Jude.

These two guys took an immediate dislike to each other. For each of them, they knew that the other was the competition. As for Spied, he couldn't stand the thoughts of Jude with Tommy Quincy. He decided that there was no way he was going to let that happen.

Tommy was thinking about what Jude had said to him earlier about Spied not being her boyfriend. He was happy when she made that statement but now he wasn't so sure. He started to think that just because she is not dating him right now doesn't mean that she won't. Ugh! Tommy knew it was going to be harder than he thought to hide his feelings for Jude.

Kwest knew that it would be for the best if he could get Tommy away from this situation, " Come on Tommy. I need you to help me set up for the backup vocals." Tommy was thankful that Kwest sensed his uneasiness, "Let's go."

Jude heard this and told them that she would be there in just a minute. She and Spied walked on into the lobby and to both of their surprise, Wally and Kyle were there just hanging out. Spied felt like he was going to throw up. What was he going to do now? Jude would find out that he lied to her.

Jude looked at Wally and Kyle and wondered why they were there, "So guys is the iguana okay?" Kyle said, "Huh?" Jude continued, "Spied told me that you guys couldn't make meet us for lunch today because you have to take the iguana to the vet."

Spied was standing behind Jude making pleading gestures for Wally and Kyle to go along with him on this. He didn't want to have to explain to Jude the real reason that they weren't there. It took a minute but they finally caught on to what Spied was trying to do.

They couldn't believe that Spied was making up excuses to be alone with Jude. Why didn't he just tell her how he felt? Kyle and Wally thought this would be a good opportunity to teach Spied a lesson. Kyle knew that Spied didn't like his iguana and it freaked him out to be near it, "Oh yeah, we just got back from the Vet's office. She said that Betsy (the iguana) should be fine. We dropped her and her tank off at Spied's house on the way over. Spied was so nice that he volunteered to take care of her for awhile."

Jude found that kind of odd since he knew how Spied felt about anything that crawls. Spied knew exactly what Kyle meant, he was going to be cleaning that creepy iguana's cage for a long time. Jude looked at Spied, "Ah, you have come a long way from the first time you saw Betsy. Remember when you came out screaming from the bathroom when Wally put her in the shower with you. That was so funny."

Spied shuddered at the though of being near the iguana again but he wanted to make it seem like he had gotten past it, "Oh yeah, that was great. Betsy and I are old friends now. Aren't we Wally?" Wally was still laughing about the prank he pulled on Spied, "Such a long way Spied, but if you wanted to have her all to yourself, you know all you had to do was ask. You know what I mean?"

Spied's eyes grew wide and Wally laughed even harder. Spied got the message, he knew that Wally was really referring to Jude not the iguana. But thankfully Jude didn't catch on. She was too busy thinking about getting back into the studio to sing with Tommy.

Jude started to walk toward the studio, "I'll see you guys later. I have to get back to recording. Tommy is waiting for me." Spied hated the fact that Jude had to spend time with Tommy and he really hated the fact that she acted like she actually enjoyed it. He spoke up, "Jude, wait. You want to hang out this weekend. We could take a look at rehearsal spaces." Jude nodded her head, "Yes, if Kyle and Wally show up this time."

The guys smiled at Spied and Kyle added, "We wouldn't miss it for the world. "Okay, I'll see you guys later." Then Jude walked down the hall.

Kyle and Wally burst out laughing at Spied.

Wally pointed at Spied and made a heart with this fingers, "Oh Spied, does she complete you? You have got it so bad." Spied knew he was right, but he just didn't know what he was going to do about it or even if there was anything he could do.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters in the show.

_**(Note: I love all the comments I am getting. Thanks so much!)**_

Chapter 4: Little Moments

When Jude walked back into the studio, Kwest and Tommy already had everything set up to record. "Did you guys miss me?" Jude asked. Tommy smiled and replied, "No, not really." Jude tried to pretend like he hurt her feelings, "Ouch Quincy, you just broke my heart."

Tommy liked hearing Jude call him Quincy but he didn't like the fact that she said that he broke her heart. Even if it was just joking, he never wanted Jude to feel that way. "Well, in that case," Tommy said, "I've been counting the minutes until you came back. Is that better?" This made Jude smile, "Much. Thank you." Tommy loved to see Jude smile and watch her eyes light up when she did.

Kwest looked at Tommy and shook his head. Tommy knew he'd better stop right there, he had to keep his feelings in check. He didn't want Jude to know that he really was counting the minutes until he got to see her again.

It was finally time to start recording the backup vocals for Jude and Tommy's duet. Kwest told Jude to go into the sound booth first, so she could add some more depth to certain parts of the chorus. Tommy just sat and watched her. Kwest even had to tell him to close his mouth a few times, he was afraid that Tommy was going to start drooling at any minute.

After Jude finished, it was Tommy's turn to add some harmony to the parts of the song that were his. Now, it was Jude's turn to sit and stare at Tommy. However, Kwest didn't once have to tell her to close her mouth. Jude was being very cautious of how she appeared in front of Tommy and Kwest.

She didn't want either one of them to know what she had on her mind. As she watched Tommy sing, she noticed that he had the most amazing lips. The words just poured out of his perfectly shaped mouth. She couldn't believe she hadn't realized how incredibly attracted she was to Tommy until now.

Tommy noticed Jude staring at him but he just kept on singing. He gazed back into her eyes. With their eyes locked on each other, it felt like they were the only two people in the world. Jude could feel herself starting to blush. Tommy thought she looked absolutely irresistible, but he knew that he would have to hold himself back.

He tore his eyes away from Jude and finished up his vocals. Jude was wondering if she just imagined it or did they just share a moment? Did she want them to have a moment? Was Tommy Quincy someone she wanted to be attracted to? Jude was very confused and she figured that a girl like her would never a chance with a guy like Tommy.

Tommy started to wonder what was going through Jude's mind. He knew she was thinking about something just by the look on her face. Could she be thinking the same thoughts as him? Was she starting to have feelings for him? Tommy wanted so badly to find out the answers to those questions but he couldn't ask her, it was too soon and he had to remember that right now, she was also too young.

It was getting late and Kwest decided that it was best that they call it a day. "You guys have worked really hard today, why don't you both take off and get some rest. If I need you for anything else on the track I'll let you know."

Both Jude and Tommy thought that rest sounded good. Jude was so tired that she had almost fallen asleep sitting in her chair. She got up to walk out the studio door and almost fell. Tommy was behind her and reached out and caught her before she hit the floor. "You okay, Harrison?"

Jude shook her head from side to side, "Yeah, I'm just not a very good sleep walker." She and Tommy were walking out into the lobby and Jude bumped into one of the couches. Tommy laughed but he was concerned about her driving home by herself, "Jude, why don't you let me drive you home?" Jude didn't know if that was such a good idea, but she was so tired she accepted his offer.

They walked out into the parking lot and Jude looked at Tommy's car. "Wow, a Viper, that's a little bit of a rock star cliché don't you think?" asked Jude sarcastically. Tommy tried not to appear offended, "Hey, I always wanted a Viper, so when I could afford it I bought one, it has nothing to do with being a rock star. Not that I want to be considered one anyway."

Tommy opened the door for Jude and she climbed into the seat. He then closed her door and got in himself. Jude wondered what he meant by his last comment. "Are you saying that Mr. Boy Band himself, doesn't consider himself to be a rock star?"

That was a question that Tommy had never answered before but he felt like he could be honest with Jude. "Being in Boyz Attack got me noticed but after a while, I felt like I wasn't being taken seriously. I wanted to be a musician, an artist, not just some guy who fit the profile for a rock star."

Jude was so surprised by his honesty. He felt the same way that she did. She wanted to be considered an artist and a musician. There was definitely more to Tommy Quincy than she thought. Jude was curious and she wanted to find out more, "Is that why you finally decided to do a solo album? So, people could see the real you?"

Tommy didn't really know how to answer that question. The real Tommy Quincy. Who was he? Tommy felt like he didn't even know who he was anymore. But he was surprised that he felt more like himself or who he at least wanted to be when he was with Jude. Tommy finally answered, "I guess I just want people to see a different side of me than what they think they know. You can't believe everything that you read in the tabloids."

Jude knew that was true. She hadn't been in the tabloid that much but when she was, the stories were outrageous. "I know that is the truth." The both of them laughed. They were having fun together just getting to know each other. Tommy was very surprised when he pulled into Jude's driveway. The ride went by so fast, they were talking, laughing, and just enjoying each other's company.

"Well, this is me. I guess I had better go in. I really had fun tonight." Jude had a twinkle in her eye, that made Tommy want to melt. "Yeah, me too," he replied. Jude started to open the door when she said, "Thank you Tommy for the ride and the talk." Before Tommy could get out the words "You're welcome," Jude kissed him on the cheek and got out of the car. She ran into the house and didn't look back.

Tommy sat in the car with a dazed look on his face. He placed his hand on his cheek touching the spot where Jude's lips had just been. Tommy wondered when he would get to spend more time with her because now it wasn't just like he wanted to be around her, it was like he needed to be.

Jude walked into her house and closed the door behind her. Her put her back up against the door to steady herself. She felt like her legs were going to give out from under her. Who knew that a small peck on the cheek could make someone go weak in the knees? The feeling of her lips on Tommy's face was indescribable. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to actually kiss him on the lips.

While Jude was standing at the door, deep in thought, Sadie had been waiting to talk to her. She had been watching her and Tommy from the time they pulled into the driveway. She saw Jude kiss Tommy on the cheek, then run into the house, and now there she stood with a goofy look on her face. Sadie knew that she was thinking about Tommy.

Sadie finally had enough, she couldn't wait any longer, "Jude. Earth to Jude." Jude snapped out of her thoughts, "Huh?" Sadie couldn't help but laugh at her little sister, "So, where's your car? Did someone give you a ride?" Sadie was trying to act like she hadn't seen anything.

"Oh, Tommy drove me home. He was afraid that I might fall asleep driving, so he gave me a ride," Jude replied to Sadie's questions. Still, her sister wanted to know more, "Well, that was really nice of him. Did you two talk about anything good? What is he really like? Come on, Jude give me some details." Jude knew Sadie all too well, "What if there's nothing to tell?"

Sadie was starting to get ill with Jude, "Oh, I know there has to be something to tell because of the look you had on your face when you came in the door. I know that look Jude. Something happened. Please just tell me."

"Okay, okay. I'll tell you what happened. Geez, you can be so annoying." Jude didn't want to tell Sadie everything about the ride home but she did want to talk about Tommy. She wanted to have someone to listen to her and give her some advice, even if it was Sadie.

Jude explained to Sadie how really different Tommy was than what he had expected, "I don't know how to explain it. I just felt so comfortable talking to him. It was like I've known him forever. We talked about we felt about music and being an artist. It was so amazing. No guy has ever talked to me like he just did. Tommy completely surprised me tonight. I know that he is not the person that most people think he is."

This was more than Sadie could comprehend, "Are we talking about the same person. You know I asked you about Tommy Quincy right? I mean, you used to make fun of me because I had his poster from Boyz Attack up in my bedroom. Now it sounds like you're his biggest fan."

"I'm not one of his fans, Sadie. He just changed my mind about how I see him as a person. He has hopes and dreams like everyone else. He's real. I just don't know what else to say about him." Jude surprised Sadie and herself with that statement.

Sadie had to say one last thing, "Wow, Jude. It sounds like you have a crush." Sadie started to go upstairs, then Jude said, "I do not." Her sister just gave her a whatever look as she turned the corner at the top of the staircase.

Now Jude was left to wonder something, "I can't have a crush on Tommy. That's just not true. I don't like him. Do I?" Jude was more confused than ever. What was she going to do if she did start to have feelings for Tommy? It wasn't like she could tell him. They had just started being friends. At least Jude hoped they were friends. If they were friends maybe she would get to spend more time with him. More time with Tommy, Jude really liked the sound of that.

It took a few days but Kwest had finally added the finishing touches to Jude and Tommy's song. He had Tommy and Jude come in at different times to work on a few last minute changes. Kwest was trying to help Tommy stay away from Jude as much as possible. He didn't want Jude to get hurt and he didn't want Tommy to fall any harder than he already had.

Kwest could tell a change in Tommy's demeanor, he always seemed like his mind was somewhere else. The funny thing was that Jude was acting the same way. Kwest wondered if something had happened between the two of them but he was afraid to ask. He figured that Tommy probably would have told him if it did. Tommy wasn't that great at keeping secrets from him, or at least that's what Kwest thought.

The day had finally came when Kwest had called both Jude and Tommy to come in and listen to their finished song. He had no idea how badly these two had been wanting to see each other. Neither of them could hardly think of anything else.

Tommy arrived at the studio first. He liked being early so he could watch her walk through the studio doors. He had thought about her so much over the past few days. What had she been doing? Had she written any new songs? Has she been thinking about me? Tommy couldn't help but wonder about that last question. Was it wrong for him to want her to be thinking of him?

Jude was driving down the street on her way to G Major. She had to watch her speed very carefully because she was so excited to see Tommy. Her foot just wanted to push the gas pedal to the floor to get there faster. It had been several days since she had seen Tommy, and she didn't know exactly how to act when she saw him again. She couldn't stop thinking about the night that he drove her home and how she had kissed him on the cheek. She hoped that is was okay. She didn't know Tommy quite well enough yet to assume anything about him.

Finally, she had arrived at the studio. It took her a few minutes to get her nerve up to get out of her car. She could see that Tommy was already there because his Viper was in the parking lot. What should she say to him? How should she act? Why did he have to be so hot? In a way, Jude wanted to run into the studio and find him but she was also scared to death to see him at the same time.

Other people started pulling into the parking lot, so Jude turned her car off and pulled the key out of the ignition. "It's now or never," she told herself. She walked into the front door behind the crowd. It took a minute for everyone to disperse so she could see into the lobby clearly.

Pretending to be reading a magazine, Tommy was sitting on a couch in the lobby. He had been waiting for the moment when she walked through the door. He was beginning to feel like maybe she wasn't go to show up. He didn't want to believe that he might not get to see her today.

At the same moment, Jude's and Tommy's eyes met. It was like magic. They were so drawn to each other. The smiles on their faces spoke more than any words could at that moment. Tommy stood up and walked towards Jude, "Hey you," he said. Jude's stomach felt like it was full of butterflies. She could feel herself starting to blush as she realized how glad she was that she chose now instead of never and walked through those doors.


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters or the characters in this story._

_**(Note: Once again, I appreciate all of the wonderful comments I am getting. Thank you so much. I also want to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas!)**_

Chapter 5: Interruptions

As Tommy walked further towards Jude, he could feel his heartbeat going out of control. Just being near her gave him a rush like he had never felt before. There was just something about Jude that was so different from any other girl he had ever met.

Jude felt as if she was having trouble catching her breath. She was feeling so nervous but also excited at the same time. She was so happy to see Tommy and being in the same room with him was almost more than her heart could take.

It took Jude a moment to gain her composure but she was finally able to speak, "Hey Tommy. How've you been?" Tommy wanted to say that he had felt lost over the past few days when he didn't get to see her, however, he replied, "I've been keeping busy. How about yourself?" Jude found it hard to think with Tommy standing so close to her, "Uh, yeah me too. I've been busy writing a new song."

Tommy smiled warmly at Jude, "Well, I am sure it's great. Maybe you could sing it to me sometime?" Jude was so excited, she hoped that this meant that Tommy wanted to spend time with her. But she also wondered if he was just being nice. It always has been hard for Jude to show self-confidence in the guy department. To her, it seemed that relationships never worked out the way she wanted. After thinking a moment, Jude finally spoke, "Yeah, I could do that. If you really want me too."

Of course, Tommy wanted to hear Jude's song. Her beautiful voice had become his favorite sound on earth. He hoped to take every opportunity to hear her sing and get to know more about her. He knew that he felt a connection with her but he still didn't know her that well personally. Something he was hoping would soon change.

Before Tommy could reply to Jude's comment, his was interrupted by none other than Spied. He had be standing by watching and figured that he had seen enough. Tommy and Jude looked at little bit too "friendly" for his liking so he decided that it was time for him to join the conversation.

Spied walked up and stopped beside of Jude. With a smile he spoke to Jude, "What's up Jude?" Then he glared in Tommy's direction, with a nod he added, "Quincy." Jude could feel some tension in the air but she had no clue that she was at the source.

"Hey Spied, what's going on?" Jude was less than enthusiastic that Spied interrupted her and Tommy. But of course, that was exactly what he wanted to do. When Spied began to speak, his words were directed towards Jude, but he kept glancing at Tommy trying to make his point, "I just wanted to make sure that we were still on for tonight, I can pick you up here when you're finished."

Tommy figured out what Spied was trying to do, He didn't like it either, he was trying to come between him and Jude and was already doing a pretty good job. Jude has almost forgotten that she was supposed to go look at rehearsal spaces with SME, "Yeah, Spied you can pick me up in a couple of hours. We'll get going as soon as I'm done here." Jude was really hoping to spend more time with Tommy. The song she had written was about him and she really did want him to hear it, but she realized that she would have to wait. She wasn't quite sure that she was ready for him to hear it just yet.

Realizing his work was done, Spied smiled to himself. He started walking off, but turned to add one more thing, "I'll be here, I can't wait. I have been looking forward to this all week." Spied raised his eyebrows at Tommy and then he was out the door. Now Tommy was left to wonder what exactly Spied's plans with Jude were. Jude was trying to figure out why Spied was acting so weird, but then again she knew that was nothing out of the ordinary for him, so she let it pass..

Tommy finally took the opportunity to speak, "So, plans with Spied, huh?" Jude nodded, "Yeah, I guess. Uh, Let's go find Kwest. I want to hear our song." Tommy followed Jude down the hallway, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed. He was hoping that Jude would have elaborated about her plans for the day. Jude didn't even realize that Tommy might have the wrong idea. Sometimes, she could be so clueless.

Kwest was ready for Jude and Tommy when they walked into the studio. He was very pleased with how well the song turned out. He was hoping that Jude and Tommy would be happy with the way he produced it. He worked really hard to get the exact sound that he wanted.

When Jude and Tommy walked through the door, Kwest could tell that something didn't quite feel right between the two of them. The last time he saw them together they were looking at each other with stars in their eyes. He couldn't help but wonder, what had happened?

Jude seemed distracted and Tommy had a distant look in this eyes. Jude was thinking about what Tommy might have said if Spied had not interrupted them. It was very easy for Jude to get lost in her thoughts, especially when they were about Tommy.

Poor Tommy wanted so badly to ask Jude where she was going with Spied but he knew that might be invading her privacy. He had hoped that maybe Jude like to go somewhere and talk. He also wanted to hear her sing the new song she has written. Tommy felt like banging his head against a wall, why was he so jealous of a guy like Vincent Spiederman? He knew precisely why, Spied would be with Jude tonight, and Tommy wouldn't.

Breaking the silence, Kwest asked if they were ready to hear their song, "It's a masterpiece, if I say so myself." Jude smirked, "Oh Kwest, you are so modest." Tommy loosened up a little, "Kwest likes to consider himself the picture of perfection."

"Just wait 'til you guys hear this, and then you can talk to me about what is perfection," Kwest remarked. Kwest pressed a few buttons and the music started to play, then Jude's voice came through the speakers and Tommy's soon followed. Neither of them could believe how beautifully they sang together. There was no denying it, they definitely had chemistry.

Jude and Tommy tried not to look at in each other's direction while they listened to their duet. But that was too much for either of them to take. Tommy glanced at Jude first, and she got a glimpse of this and turned towards him. Both of them wondered what the other was thinking.

Kwest recognized the look on their faces. The stars were back, and he could tell that this two people shared a connection. He didn't completely understand it, but he could see it. Kwest thought, "Poor Tommy, he doesn't stand a chance. He's already too far gone." He wasn't quite so sure about Jude, she might be starting to fall but she wasn't letting it show as much as Tommy was.

After the song was finished, Kwest asked, "What do you think?" Jude began to smile, "I absolutely love it." Tommy agreed, "You out did yourself on this one." Kwest told them that Darius thought so too, and that he wanted to release it as a single immediately.

Jude was surprised, "Wow, that's really fast." Kwest replied, "Well, Darius knows that the single will generate buzz for both of your upcoming albums." Tommy decided it was a good idea, so he would go along with but he knew it really didn't matter what he thought. Darius would do whatever he wanted to anyway.

As Jude stood up out of her chair, she was ready to speak to Tommy, but she was interrupted by Sadie. She opened the door to the sound booth and said, "Jude, Spied says that he is ready whenever you are. He'll meet you in the parking lot. He just wanted me to let you know." Jude took a deep breath, "Okay, thanks." She then looked back at Tommy, "I guess I'd better go. I'll see you around." At least she hoped she would.

Tommy couldn't bare to let her just leave like this, "Jude, wait."

Jude was so glad that Tommy stopped her before she walked out the door. She didn't want to just leave but she didn't know what else to do. She couldn't stand of not knowing when she would get to see him again. Jude gave Tommy a nervous look. then he continued to speak, "I would still like to hear your new song, why don't you give me a call when you have the chance and we'll get together? What do you think?"

That last question was a problem for Jude, because right at this moment she couldn't think much less speak. Tommy wanted to see her again and that's all she wanted. She wondered if she was actually daydreaming. Tommy called her name, "Jude, do you want my number? I can program it into your phone, if you want."

Nodding her head, Jude took her cell phone out of her bag and handed it to Tommy. While he was putting his number into her phone, he also took the opportunity to get her number off it as well. He handed her back her phone, "There you go. Don't forget about me, okay."

Was he serious? Jude knew she could never forget Tommy Quincy no matter how hard she tried. Not that she wanted to anyway. Jude smiled sweetly and with a twist of sarcasm she spoke, "Oh, Tommy. You know that no girl could ever forget you." Tommy made an odd face. "I'm just kidding. I'll get up you with soon. Right now, I had better go meet Spied. We have to look at rehearsal spaces with Wally and Kyle. It's going to be so much fun," Jude added with a hint of sarcasm.

Relief swept over Tommy, at least now he knew that Jude and Spied weren't going on a date and it was even better that they weren't going to be alone with each other. Tommy could tell that Spied's feelings for Jude were strong, and he wanted so much to believe that her feelings for Spied did not go beyond friendship.

At that moment, Jude received a text message from Spied, "I gotta go. Spied's getting impatient. I'll see you guys later. Oh, Kwest, I almost forgot to thank you for the song. It was amazing." Kwest said, "Anytime, Jude."

She beamed as she took one last look at Tommy, "See ya……." Tommy finished her sentence with, "Soon."

As Jude went out the door, Tommy knew that part of his heart went with her. Kwest walked over to Tommy and gave him a pat on the back. "You are so far gone, what am I going to do with you? I have to admit, I've never seen you like this before. I am beginning to think you may have really changed after all."

This comment cracked Tommy up, "I know what you were thinking. You figured that I was just attracted to Jude because she was young and off limits. But it's different with her. I can't explain it, I just feel it. She is just so amazing."

This Tommy Quincy was the total opposite of the one that Kwest used to know. He had really grown up and began to truly care about someone besides himself. Kwest was almost in shock, "So, what was with giving her your phone number? I thought you were going to hold back a little."

"Well," Tommy began, " I really do want to hear her new song. Maybe, she will inspire me to write a song of mine own. Besides, there's nothing wrong with two "friends" spending time with each other. Is there?"

Kwest smirked at Tommy's reply, "Since when does a guy whose twenty-four have a "friend" who is seventeen?" he asked his friend. Tommy made one more comment before he walked out the door, "I'll let you in on something, Kwest. She won't be seventeen forever, you know."

Then Tommy walked out of the sound booth and out of G Major. He decided to take a drive. This time he didn't need to clear his mind. He knew exactly what he wanted and he would wait for her. Because for the first time in his life, Tommy Quincy felt something real.

It was beginning to seem like Jude and SME were never going to find a decent rehearsal space. They had looked all Friday afternoon and found nothing. Now it was Saturday, and they still hadn't seen one space that Jude would want to spend any amount of time in.

Wally and Kyle were making fun Jude saying that she was too picky. They were starting to get on Jude's nerves, "Well excuse me for wanting a place that doesn't smell like rotten fish or hasn't been taken over by rats or cockroaches."

Spied was trying to maintain a serious face, when Kyle said, "What about the place down on 32nd Street? It wasn't so bad." Jude was about to scream, "Are you serious? That place had chalk outlines of not ONE but TWO bodies on the floor and I think I saw blood stains on the walls."

"Nothing that a good scrubbing couldn't fix," Wally said. At that remark Jude ran towards he and Kyle like she was going to beat them to death, Spied grabbed Jude around the waist and picked her up off the ground. Jude was kicking and screaming, "Let me at them, come on, let me choke them just a little bit. Not enough to kill them, but just enough to make them lose consciousness."

Spied burst out with laughter at Jude's crazy comment. Wally and Kyle decided that it was time for them to go. They were getting bored and didn't really care where they practiced anyway. They told Jude and Spied to just find something, and they would be okay with it. This made Spied very happy because it meant more time alone with Jude. Could his day get any better?

While Spied and Jude were getting into Spied's car to go to this next place, Jude's phone began to beep. She had received a text, she opened her phone to see who it was from. She couldn't believe it, the text was from Tommy, it read, "Are you still looking for a space? I think I may have found something. Call me."

"Oh my god!" Jude exclaimed. Spied almost ran off the road, "What is it? You scared me." Jude tried to calm down, "It's Tommy, he thinks he may have found us a space. Isn't that great. I'm gonna call him right now." Spied was less than thrilled, "Oh yeah, that is so great."

Tommy gave her the address to meet him at. It was only ten minutes away from where she and Spied were. Spied kept he eyes on the road while Jude was on the phone with Tommy. He couldn't look at her, she was just too pleased to be talking to him. Now he had to drive her to go meet Tommy and look at a space that he found. Could his day get any worse?

Spied pulled up and parked beside of Tommy's viper. Tommy was leaning up against it waiting for them to arrive, he couldn't wait to see Jude. He opened the car door for her before Spied had chance to even get out of the car himself. Jude tried to control her emotions, seeing Tommy made her nervous but overwhelmed with excitement at the same time.

"So, where's this space, Quincy?" Spied asked to break up the moment between Tommy and Jude. "It's up on the third floor. There's an elevator but we can take the stairs up the fire escape," Tommy answered. They walked up the staircase and Tommy pulled out a key and unlocked the door.

The three went inside and Jude's mouth almost dropped to the floor. This place was perfect. It was a huge loft with plenty of space. "Tommy, how did you find this?" she asked. Tommy smiled at her, "I may have made a few phone calls, I still have some connections."

Before Jude even had time to think, she threw her arms around Tommy in a huge embrace, "You are my hero." And with those words, Spied knew that his day had just gotten a whole lot worse.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant star or the characters in this story. I also do not own the song "_It Could be You_" from the Instant Star Soundtrack.

_**Note: (I love the comments. Please keep them coming. I hope everyone one had a wonderful Christmas!)**_

Chapter 6: It Could be You

When Jude wrapped her arms around Tommy, he was very surprised but it felt so right. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her. Tommy felt himself getting almost intoxicated as he inhaled her perfume. Their bodies being so close to each other was almost more than he could take. Tommy wished for this moment to never end.

The second that Jude felt Tommy's arm around her, it was like electricity had surged through her body. It was almost like she was afraid to breathe, she didn't want to take any chances on anything causing this moment to end too quickly.

Poor Spied, he was staring at the two of them obviously enjoying holding each other. While they were entranced in their embrace, Spied could almost feel his heart come out of his chest and fall on the floor. He couldn't let them just stand there, "So, Quincy. You gonna give us the tour of this place or what?"

At the sound of Spied's voice, Tommy pulled his arms away from Jude's body. He took a step back from her and couldn't help but smile at the kind of embarrassed look she had on her face. One more minute in that hug, and Jude would have forgotten that she and Tommy weren't alone.

Tommy knew why Spied had interrupted them again, but he wasn't going to let him know that. "Sure. Let's take a look around." Tommy led the way as she showed Jude and Spied the loft. The place was more than Jude could have ever hoped for. It really was perfect and what made it even more special was the fact that Tommy found it for her.

Spied really liked the loft as well, but he tried not to seem too excited about it, "It's okay. I guess it will do." Jude elbowed Spied in the side, "You know this place is awesome, I can't wait to move our equipment in here. Maybe we could start tomorrow?"

Both Tommy and Spied could tell how thrilled Jude was with the new space to rehearse in. Tommy loved seeing Jude so happy and it really made him him feel so good to know that he was the one who put that smile on her face.

Jude was still looking around when Spied began to speak, "So Jude, maybe we should go. We can go find Wally and Kyle and tell them the good news." Jude wasn't ready to leave just yet, "Why don't you go find them and let them know. I want to look around a little bit more and plan where everything should go. Tommy will give me a ride home, won't you Tommy?"

"Of course," Tommy replied. There was nothing more that Tommy wanted right now but to spend more time with Jude. Spied knew that there was no sense in arguing, so he just walked toward the door, "See you guys later."

Then Spied walked out the door and headed to his car. The walk down the stairs of the fire escape felt like it took forever. Spied sat down behind the steering wheel and punched the dashboard. He was getting really frustrated. He could see the sparks between Jude and Tommy, but he still wasn't ready to give up yet.

Meanwhile, back at the loft, Jude was starting to get somewhat apprehensive about being alone with Tommy. It was that she didn't feel comfortable with him, it was all those other things that he made her feel that truly scared her. Was she starting to fall for him? What if she did and he crushed her? Her body almost shook at the thought of Tommy finding out how she felt.

Tommy was watching Jude, he could tell that she just starting to get nervous. He figured that now was as good a time as any to get Jude to sing her new song to him, "So, how about you let me hear the new song you wrote? You could go ahead and break the place in."

Jude didn't know what to say, she couldn't believe that Tommy really was interested in her music. "I don't have my guitar with me, I'm not comfortable singing the song without it." Jude was disappointed, she wanted Tommy to hear the song because it was about him, although she was afraid that when he heard it, he might realize how she felt.

"You can't use that excuse this time. I happen to have a guitar out in my car. I'll go get it while you get prepared to impress me," Tommy said before he left to go retrieve the guitar out of his car.

There go those nerves again. Jude's stomach was beginning to feel very uneasy. Was she ready to sing this song in front of him? Would he automatically know who is was about? She didn't have enough time to think about the answers to those questions, the door opened and in stepped Tommy holding an acoustic guitar.

Jude was hoping it would take Tommy a few minutes longer to go down to his car. But now he had returned and Jude knew she couldn't put off singing the song forever. Why did she have to tell him she wrote a new one anyway? If she had kept her mouth shut, Tommy wouldn't be expecting her to sing to him right now.

It wasn't that Jude was shy about singing in front of Tommy, at least not under the usual circumstances. It's one thing to be singing in a studio with lots of other people around, but it's another to be alone in a loft with a man that makes you feel things you have never felt before.

Tommy handed Jude the guitar, "It may need some tuning, I haven't played it in awhile." Jude took the guitar from his hand and sat down on the floor to start tuning it. She was relieved to have a few more minutes to gather up her confidence to sing the song she had written.

Looking at her, Tommy was trying not to show how much he wanted to take Jude in his arms again. The embrace they shared sent his emotions into overdrive. How long could he go without letting her know exactly how he feel? If things kept going the way they were, it probably wouldn't be long before Jude figured it out for herself. Tommy hoped he wasn't being that obvious.

Jude finished tuning the guitar and looked up at Tommy, "Are you ready?" she asked. "I'm listening," Tommy replied. Jude began to play the opening run for the song. At this point she wasn't ready to look at him yet, but as the time neared for her to begin the first verse, she looked up at him. His eyes looked so gentle and unassuming, her eyes locked with his and she opened her mouth to sing:

_You and me, all alone_

_It's to late to say we didn't know_

_We shouldn't be, all alone_

_One of us might lose control_

_All these feelings we've been hiding_

_Deep down, they must start to show_

_Not here, not now_

_Watching my frustrations grow_

_I know what I feel and you feel it too_

_I dream of the first kiss and who'll make the first move_

_Who's gonna put their heart on the line_

_It could be me_

_It could be you, tonight_

_Show me, who you are_

_Stop me before I go to far_

_Cause it hurts, to hold back_

_So hold me or I might crack_

_I'm gasoline, you're the match_

_I'm not sure if we could handle that_

_It might explode, could be a mess_

_I say we take the chance_

_I know what I feel and you feel it too_

_I dream of the first kiss and who'll make the first move_

_Who's gonna put their heart on the line_

_It could be me_

_It could be you, tonight_

_I'm all mixed up, confused_

_I don't know what to do_

_Cause I want to, I'd love to_

_If I knew you'd want me to_

_If your getting any closer then I'm gonna have to scream_

_I know what I feel and you feel it too_

_I dream of the first kiss and who'll make the first move_

_Who's gonna put their heart on the line_

_It could be meIt could be you_

_I know what I feel and you feel it too_

_I dream of the first kiss and who make the first move_

_Who's gonna put their heart on the line_

_It could be me_

_It could be you, tonight_

Jude breathed in deeply and played the last chord of the song. Tommy was stunned at the passion that Jude had put into her words. He couldn't help but wonder if the song was about really about someone in her life. Could it possibly be about him? He could only hope that was the case.

"Jude, that was incredible," Tommy was having trouble finding the words to express his sentiments. Jude found it hard to speak, she was overwhelmed by the rush of emotions she was feeling. She started to lay the guitar to the side, so she could get up from the floor.

Walking towards her, Tommy stretched out his hands to help Jude stand. She placed her hands into his and he pulled her up to where she standing directly in front of him. Neither of them letting go of the other's hand, the pair stood there with their eyes fixed on each other.

Time seemed to stand still for both Jude and Tommy. They didn't want words to get in the way of the moment so they just stood there in silence. That was until the door flew open and the members of SME barged into the room. Those guys definitely now how to make an entrance.

The arrival of Spied, Wally, and Kyle prompted Jude to drop Tommy's hands and give the guys a look of disgust, "So Spied, you're back and you brought Wally and Kyle. That's great." Spied knew that Jude wasn't exactly happy that he had shown back up but after he found Wally and Kyle, he realized something. He had left the girl he was in love with alone with Tommy Quincy. Who would be stupid enough to do that? Him, that's who.

Spied went and picked up Wally and Kyle to make them come back to the loft with him. As long as they were there, he could use the excuse of wanting to show the place to them. It wasn't the best idea, but he hoped that Jude wouldn't catch on and question his motives.

"Yeah, the guys couldn't wait to see the place. They made me drive them straight over here," Spied said trying to be convincing. Wally looked at Kyle and whispered, "We did?" Kyle laughed at Wally's ignorance, "You know us Jude, we never miss an opportunity to look at an empty loft on the other side of town, which we could have seen tomorrow, but we didn't want to wait, so……." Kyle was starting to ramble, so Spied elbowed him in the side to make him stop. Kyle winced in pain and Wally decided to finish his sentence, "So, here we are."

Tommy just shook his head, he couldn't believe what idiots these guys were. It was bad enough that Spied showed up, but did he have to bring dumb and dumber with him? He felt sorry for Jude because this was her band and she had to spend a lot of time with them. Tommy wondered how could she stand it, but he had to admit that they could make good music.

"Well, guys what do you think of the space? Isn't it perfect?" Jude asked. Wally was the first to answer, "Definitely. This place is awesome. The babes will love it." Kyle then added, "Yeah and I could bring my iguana."

Spied flinched at the thought of being near Betsy again.

Jude laughed, "Oh Spied, what's the matter? I thought you and Betsy made up. Don't you like iguanas anymore?" Spied smirked as he replied, "I think the place would feel too cramped with Betsy and her huge cage and I don't really think that the "babes" would be too thrilled to see her roaming around. Right guys?" Kyle didn't care about what Spied thought, "I am going to bring her anyway."

The conversation made Tommy feel like he was sort of out of place. He decided that it was probably time for him to go. He would have liked to finished what was started earlier between him and Jude but that moment was gone as soon as SME came on the scene.

"I'd better get going. You guys can hang out and discuss band business. I'm assuming you all can give Jude a ride home," Tommy said looking from Jude to Spied. Jude didn't want Tommy to leave but she sensed that he was uncomfortable for some reason and wanted to go, "Okay, I'll walk you out. I'll be back in a minute," Jude said as she caught up with Tommy.

Tommy and Jude walked quietly down the fire escape. Neither of them spoke a word until they reached the car. Tommy decided to go first, "I really loved your song Jude."

"I was hoping you would. What can I say? I was inspired," Jude said with a sneaky smile. "Really?" asked Tommy. Jude nodded her head.

A feeling of elation shot through Tommy like a lightning bolt. He had just gotten his answer, he was positive that the song was about him. But even though he was so happy, he knew that the time wasn't right just yet for him to make a move. He gave Jude a peculiar look to try and hide what he was thinking.

Tommy then walked toward his car and opened the door. Jude was somewhat saddened by his decision to walk away. "I guess it's goodbye then," Jude was rather confused by Tommy's actions. But then he said, "No, it's not goodbye. It's see ya soon. I promise." Then he got in his car and drove away. Jude felt like jumping up and down and screaming. Tommy could be confusing at times, but it was a good kind of confusing.

Jude spent the rest of the weekend setting up the new rehearsal space. She and SME brought most of their equipment to the loft. Jude was so excited to have a place where she could come to and practice or just relax after an exhausting day. She was so glad that Tommy found it for her. Jude hadn't thought of much else besides Tommy since the last time she saw him.

Her thoughts were consumed by Tommy. She may have taken a big chance singing the song she wrote to him but it was too late now. He had heard it and even used the word incredible to describe it but after that everything seemed like it was in a fog. She remembers holding on to Tommy's hands and not wanting to let go. She remembers gazing into his eyes and wanting to ask him what he was thinking. But once again, they were interrupted. Would she ever get the chance to have such a moment with Tommy without something or better yet someone getting in the way?

It really was weird how Spied kept showing up almost every time she was with Tommy? Jude wondered what could be going on with him. She figured that Spied just didn't like Tommy, she still hadn't grasped the concept that Spied was in love with her. They had been friends for so long, she just never saw him that way. Jude couldn't imagine even in her wildest or weirdest dreams that Spied felt the way he did.

While Jude was busy thinking about Tommy, Spied was obsessing about what he had seen the day before. When he walked into the loft, there stood Jude and Tommy…….holding hands? Well, maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought. She did drop his hands very quickly, when he came through the door with Wally and Kyle. Spied still couldn't help but wonder what had been going on during the time that he was gone.

The truth is that Spied couldn't really be mad at Jude, he loved her too much. It was his fault that he hadn't told her how he felt about her. He was afraid that she might not feel the same and he didn't want to ruin their friendship. But he still wanted to believe that one day Jude might give him a chance. He just wanted her to realize how much he truly cared for her without him having to actually say the words out loud. He always thought that he would have plenty of time to get Jude to come around but now that Tommy was in the picture, it just made things so much more complicated.

Speaking of Tommy, he was pretty much having the same problem as Jude. He couldn't get her off his mind either, and he didn't want to. Every moment that he spends with her only makes it harder for him not to tell her how he really feels. But he doesn't think it would be a good idea to go there yet. They haven't known each other for that long and Tommy wanted to be sure that Jude feels the same way he does before he declares his affection.

Hearing Jude sing that song made Tommy's heart want to explode. He knew the song was about him but the more he thought about it, he felt like the song was about a physical connection between them. Tommy is definitely attracted to Jude, but the emotional connection he feels is so much greater. He just hopes that Jude will be emotional ready to be with him when the time is right.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the Characters from the show.

_**(Note: As always I appreciate the reviews. I hope everyone had a very happy start to the new year!)**_

Chapter 7: Mondays

The buzzing of her phone awoke Jude the next morning. She had just received a text message. It was so early she couldn't imagine who would be texting her at 8:00am. Her first thought was to ignore it and go back to sleep but for some reason she grabbed her phone to see who it was. She flipped open her phone and to her surprise the text was from Tommy.

Darius apparently wanted to see both Jude and Tommy this morning. Tommy's text asked for Jude to meet him in Darius's office at 9:00am. Jude, not being a morning person, really wanted to go back to sleep but instead she got up and sent Tommy a text telling him that she would be there. Now all she had to do was get ready and be downtown in an hour. No problem.

Jude stood in front of her closet, looking to see what she had to wear. She wanted to look good since she was going to get to see Tommy this morning. A day that starts out with seeing Tommy is a good day. Jude picked out a pair of faded skinny jeans, a white shirt, and a black jacket. Her new black boots would look great with the outfit. Now that she had her clothes picked out, it was on to hair and makeup.

Jude took a quick shower and washed her hair. She jumped out of the shower quickly, dried off, and starting to blow dry her hair. After it was dry, she used a curling iron to add a little bit of volume. Okay, time for makeup. Jude figured just a little blush, lip gloss, and mascara would do. Jude glanced at the clock on the wall and decided that she needed to hurry. Jude applied her blush and lip gloss quickly, but when she picked up the mascara, she poked herself in the eye with it. Her eye immediately turned read and began to burn. It was starting to water and her vision even was starting to get blurry.

Jude ran downstairs to see if Sadie had left for work yet. Jude heard Sadie making noise in the kitchen, "Hey Sadie, can you give me ride to G Major this morning?" Sadie thought it was little odd but she said okay. Jude was holding her hand over her eye, it was hurting really badly now.

Jude asked Sadie, "Does this look bad to you?" Sadie had her back turned to Jude, now she was turning around to face her, "Huh, does what……….Oh my God! What did you do to your eye?"

Jude was somewhat stunned at Sadie's reaction, "So, it really looks at bad as it feels." Sadie nodded her head, "What happened?" Jude was slightly embarrassed, "Well, I was trying to get ready in a hurry because I needed to get to G Major to meet Tommy and I accidentally poked myself in the eye with my mascara."

Sadie took a deep breath, "Jude, you know that you can't keep mascara forever. You should have thrown that tube away ages ago. I am going to call in to work and tell them that I won't be in for awhile. We've got to get you to a doctor."

Jude knew that there was no use in arguing with Sadie. She was going to have to go to the doctor and now she wouldn't get to see Tommy today. Jude was so disheartened, for a day that had started out with promise, it sure had turned itself around for the worst. But that's how Mondays are, you just never know what they are going to bring.

Darius was sitting in his office talking to Tommy when his phone rang. At first Darius sounded a little upset, "What do you mean that Sadie can't come in to work this morning?" Then his voice began to soften, "Oh Jude, well is she going to be okay?…….Yeah, just let me know when you hear something." Darius hung up the phone and just shook his head.

Tommy had heard what Darius was saying and he was getting really concerned. He wondered what was going on with Jude, "Is everything alright?" Darius gave Tommy a questioning look before answering him, "I really can't say. Sadie called in and said she couldn't come to work because something happened to Jude and she had to take her to the doctor. That's all I know at this point."

The thought of something happening to Jude made Tommy feel sick. He wanted to know is she was okay, in fact he needed to know that she was okay. Darius told Tommy that he would let him know as soon as he had any news. Tommy just hoped that it would be sooner rather than later.

"Well, do you want me to tell you the news without Jude?" asked Darius. Tommy had almost forgotten the reason he was there, "Yeah, sure. What's going on?" Darius's expression turned smug, "You know that I've got a source at Billboard Magazine." Tommy nodded. "Well, it just so happens that G Major has the next number one hit on the charts and it's you and Jude. Your duet is set to debut at number one this week."

This was such great news and Tommy so wanted to be able to share this moment with Jude. But he couldn't and it was practically killing him. He didn't know where she was and right now she was all he could think about.

In the meantime, Sadie had taken Jude to an eye doctor. The doctor told Jude that she had the makings of an eye infection. He prescribed her some eye drops and told her that she would have to wear an eye patch for the next few days. He put a few antibiotic drops in her eye and gave her a pill to take on the way home. The doctor said that Jude needed to sleep for a few hours to let the eye drops start to work and let the swelling go down.

On the way home, Sadie called Darius to let him know about Jude. Tommy was walking by Darius's door when he heard him mention that Sadie and Jude were on their way home. Tommy couldn't take it anymore, he rushed out the door and got into his car, he was going to check on Jude for himself.

Sadie stopped and got Jude some food to take with her medicine. She didn't want Jude to get sick to her stomach on top of everything else. When Sadie pulled into the driveway, she could tell that Jude was already starting to get sleepy. She helped her into the house and made sure that Jude made it to the couch.

Jude started to feel the medicine take its effect, she decided to go ahead and lie down. Sadie was going upstairs to get Jude a blanket when she heard the doorbell ring. Sadie opened the door and was surprised to see Tommy standing there, "Hey Tommy, what are you doing here?"

He didn't really know what to say, "I heard about Jude and I wanted to see that she was okay." Sadie could tell that this man obviously had some strong feelings for her sister, "Did you now? That was really nice of you to come all the way across town." Tommy was starting to feel uneasy, "So, what happened? Where's Jude?"

Sadie gave Tommy a sneaky smile, "Well, Jude has an eye infection. She has to wear a patch for a few days. The doctor told her to come home and get some sleep to allow the swelling to go down. She's probably asleep but you can go in and check on her."

Tommy stepped inside the Harrison home and thanked Sadie for letting him come in. She motioned him in the direction of the living room and went upstairs. Tommy walked towards a sleeping Jude, even with an eye patch, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. As she laid there, he knelt down beside of her and whispered into her ear, "Please, don't ever scare me like that again." Then he kissed her on the forehead and sat down in a chair across from the couch to watch her for a moment as she slept.

When Sadie came back downstairs, she stopped for a second to see what Tommy was doing. He was just sitting there, staring at Jude. He had such a look of love on his face, Sadie couldn't help but be amazed. Tommy Quincy was sitting in her house admiring her sister while she was sleeping. It almost didn't seem real. Sadie wondered if Jude even had a clue about how apparently intense Tommy's feelings were.

Sadie walked into the living room and laid a blanket over Jude's body. She smiled at Tommy and asked him to come into the kitchen with her. Tommy followed Sadie down the hallway and they both stopped at the kitchen counter. After a deep breath, Sadie asked, "Can I trust you Tommy?"

Tommy was taken back by the question, "Of course, Sadie. I would never do anything to hurt Jude. I really care about her. I……" Sadie began to laugh, "Whoa, hold on a minute. All I wanted to know was if I could trust you to stay here with Jude for a little while, so I could go do a few things at work. She'll probably be asleep for a few more hours. I won't be gone long."

"I can do that," Tommy answered, thinking he was off the hook. Maybe she didn't read to much into what he had said before. Sadie grabbed her purse and started to walk out the door. She turned to Tommy and commented, "But it's nice to know that you care. Bye Tommy." Tommy knew that Sadie had read between the lines, "See ya later, Sadie."

After Sadie left, Tommy headed back down the hallway to the living room. Tommy came around to the front of the couch and sat down in the floor in front of Jude. They were finally alone again, but this time she was sound asleep. Tommy didn't mind though, he just so happy that is wasn't something more serious. He had these scenarios going around in his head, it really scared him to think of anything bad happening to her.

As Tommy was thinking about how much he had already fallen for Jude, he took his hand and began to caress her face and push back the strands of hair that had fallen on her cheek. It was amazing for him to be this close to someone and have such strong feelings for them. At this moment, it had actually started to scare Tommy, his emotions were going of control and there was no way he could stop them. It wasn't that he wanted to stop, it was just the thought of opening his heart completely to someone made him feel uneasy. This wasn't a place that he had ever been before, and he wasn't quite sure how to handle it.

Jude began to stir in her sleep, she actually opened the eye without the patch for a moment. She squinted as she looked at Tommy's face and then with a groggy voice, she spoke, "Tommy, come here." Tommy said, "Huh?" Jude sat up and motioned Tommy to sit on the couch with her. Tommy got up from the floor and took a seat beside of Jude.

He felt so sorry for her, she looked so tired. Jude scooted as close as she could to Tommy and put her head on his shoulder. Then she mumbled, "I love you." Tommy was in disbelief, did he just hear what he thought he heard. He looked down at Jude and she was sound asleep again.

Those words kept echoing through Tommy's head. He had heard Jude say that she loved him. Maybe it was just her sleep talking but it meant the world to Tommy. He slowly and carefully lifted up his arm and put it back down around Jude's shoulder. He then leaned back on the couch and pulled her closer to him. Tommy knew in that instance that there was no feeling in the world like holding the woman you love.

It wasn't long until Tommy had drifted off to sleep himself. He felt so at home and comfortable holding Jude that he just let sleep overtake him. The two were sleeping so peacefully. It was truly a sight to behold. Jude had her hand on Tommy's chest and his arm was fixed protectively around her.

Tommy awoke to the sound of jingling keys and a door being opened. It took him a moment but he was finally to opens his eyes to see Sadie standing in front of him with a stern expression on her face. He could tell that she wasn't very happy with the position she found him and her little sister in.

Trying not to wake Jude, Tommy very gently got up and laid Jude back down on the couch. To his surprise, she didn't move a muscle. She was still out cold, that was some sleeping medication. He gave Jude one last loving look before he headed down the hallway to face Sadie.

"Tommy, what were you two doing?" asked Sadie. "Sleeping," replied Tommy. Sadie was in no mood for Tommy's sarcasm, "Seriously, why were you on the couch with Jude?" Tommy's thoughts rolled back as he tried to explain, "Well, she woke up and asked me to sit with her. I sat down on the couch and she fell back asleep on my shoulder almost immediately. Then I guess I just fell asleep, too."

Sadie gave Tommy a suspicious look, "And that's all?" Tommy shook his head yes, he didn't feel the need to share what else Jude said. Those words were all his own. He wanted to keep them close to his heart with the hope that he would get to hear them spoken from Jude's lips again.

"You know that I am just trying to look out for Jude. It's been tough since our mom left and dad is always away on business. We are pretty much all we've got." Sadie wanted Tommy to know that she wasn't really mad at him. Tommy got the message, "I completely understand and as I told you before, I would never do anything to hurt Jude." With a smile, Sadie said, "I am going to hold you to that." Tommy told her that he would expect nothing less.

Tommy figured that is was probably time for him to go. He knew that Jude was alright and he really needed to get back to the studio. He left in such a rush that he didn't even tell anyone where he was going. He could just imagine how mad Darius was going to be when he walked through the doors of the studio.

Sadie thanked Tommy for staying with Jude while she was gone. She told him that she would tell Jude to call him when she woke up. As Tommy was walking toward the front door, he suddenly turned and went back toward Jude. Why was it so hard to leave her? He knew exactly why, he knelt down beside her one more time, put his lips close to her ear, and breathed the words, "I love you, too." Tommy was reluctant but now he was finally able to walk out the front door and head back to G Major.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters on the show.

_**(Note: I want to thank everyone who is reading my story. I am so glad that people are enjoying it. Thanks for the reviews too! Keep them coming!)**_

Chapter 8: Surprise Visits

After about six hours of sleeping, Jude had woken up. She sat up on the couch and looked around the room. She was at home, but for some reason, she couldn't help but feel like something was different. But it was a good different, at least she thought it was. Her eye was feeling a lot better too, those eye drops were really doing their job. The swelling had already went down so much from where it was earlier.

Sadie came down the stairs and saw Jude sitting up, "Good evening, sleepy head." Jude was confused, "Good evening, how long have I been asleep?"

Sadie smiled, "Do you want me to count from before Tommy got here or after he left?" Jude gave her sister a funny look, "Tommy? Tommy was here? Why?"

"Don't you remember anything?" Sadie asked. Jude couldn't believe it, "No, I don't remember him being here. The last thing that I can recall is lying down on the couch. But I did think it was odd how I woke up on the other side of the couch from where I first laid down. How did that happen?"

Sadie walked into the kitchen and Jude followed close behind.

It was hard for Sadie to keep from laughing as she tried to explain the events that had transpired. She told Jude how Tommy had come over not long after they got home, and then she asked him to stay with her until she got back from work. Jude was having a hard time following this but everything sounded pretty normal until Sadie said, "I came back home and when I walked through the door, you and Tommy were on the couch asleep in each other's arms."

Jude almost fell off the bar stool she had sat on while listening to Sadie, "I don't believe you. That's impossible. How in the world could that have happened and I not remember any of it?" Jude suddenly realized why she was so happy when she woke up, she just wished she could remember something.

"Tommy said that you woke up, sat up on the couch, and asked him to sit down. He sat down and you feel asleep on him and then he fell asleep too. At least that's his story," Sadie gave Jude a sneaky grin and added, "But I guess we'll never know, will we?"

Sadie headed down the hall toward the laundry room, "Oh and one last thing." Jude looked up a Sadie as she finished her sentence, "Tommy wanted you to call him when you woke up." Sadie laughed at the look on Jude's face and continued down the hallway.

Now Jude was left to wonder what had happened? She could call Tommy and ask him but that would be kind of embarrassing. Although, she knew that she couldn't ignore Tommy forever. She wanted to talk to him so badly and she was dying to see him. Just knowing that his arms were around her for a space in time filled her with such pleasure.

Jude thought about the way it felt when she hugged Tommy after he found the loft for her. That was so amazing. She couldn't even imagine how it must have felt to be sleeping in his arms. Not knowing and not being able to remember was almost worse than it not happening at all.

Then it hit her, Tommy was here. He came to check on me, he held me while I was sleeping. "He really does care about me. It's not a dream, Tommy must have feelings for me. Oh my God, this could actually happen." Jude felt chills all over her body as she spoke these words out loud, "Tommy Quincy, you will be mine."

It was a surprise to Tommy that when he got back to G Major, Darius wasn't mad at him for leaving. Apparently Sadie had explained to him that she asked Tommy to stay with Jude so she could come to work for awhile. However, Darius did wonder why Tommy went over to see Jude in the first place. He didn't think that they were that close.

Darius decided to have a little talk with Tommy before he told him the rest of his good news. He didn't get to tell Tommy earlier because of him leaving so quickly. Tommy walked into Darius's office and sat down, "So, you wanted to talk to me again." Darius took a moment and then began, "I have some more good news for you but first I wanted to talk to you about Jude. Is there something I should know about?"

Tommy didn't know exactly how to answer that question. He didn't want to lie but there really was nothing that Darius needed to know about his personal life. "What are you talking about ?" asked Tommy.

Darius almost rolled his eyes at Tommy, "What do you think I am talking about? Since when are you and Jude so close that you run out of the studio to go see her and then hang out to make sure she's okay. I know you and you're not the type of guy who just does things like that."

That comment upset Tommy, "Don't pretend like you know me Darius. You haven't known _ME_ for a long time. I am not the same person that I used to be. Jude and I are friends and that is all you need to know."

Darius nodded his head but he still wasn't convinced, "Just keep it friendly then, because you know the press would have a field day if they thought something was going on. Jude would be hounded by them and I could just imagine the headlines, "Tommy Q Dates Underage Rockstar." It would be a huge mess. Just think about it."

As much as Tommy hated to admit it, Darius was making sense. Tommy got up to walk out of room, "Like I said before, we're just friends. There's nothing to tell." But Tommy knew that was a lie. He was so deep in love with Jude that he couldn't imagine not being able to be near her. Tommy thought that if he could just play it cool for a little while longer, everything would be okay.

Tommy was about to walk out the door when Darius stopped him, "Oh and one more thing, I am having a party at my penthouse on Saturday night to celebrate our number one hit. I need you and Jude to be there. You can tell her since you're such good friends and all." Tommy put on fake smile, "Sure, I wouldn't miss it. I'll let Jude know."

A party with Darius, that's just fantastic. At least Tommy would get to see Jude. He figured that would be the only highlight of the night. Now all he had to do was tell Jude about their duet hitting number one and where their presence would be required on Saturday night. He didn't want to bother her with the news tonight. He felt like Jude needed to rest, he would tell her tomorrow. It was only one day away, but to Tommy it seemed like an eternity until he would get to see Jude again.

The next day Jude awoke to a loud banging on her front door. She was still really groggy but she figured that Sadie was already gone to work, so she went ahead and got out of bed. Jude came downstairs holding onto the railing to make sure she didn't fall. The medicine had given her a slight headache and the persistent knocking on the door didn't help the situation.

When Jude opened the front door, she was immediately overtaken by the swift moment of arms being thrown around her. She barely even had time to see who it was before the unexpected embrace. "I am so glad that you're okay. I heard you had to go to the doctor. What happened?" Spied spoke so quickly that Jude had a hard time keeping up with his words.

Spied backed off so he could take a look at Jude, "Wow, cool eye patch. Can I borrow it?" Jude couldn't help but laugh, "Spied you are such a goof. I have an eye infection. Did you know that mascara can do that?"

Spied replied as he batted his eyelashes, "Of course, that's why I always check the expiration date on mine. I love to have nice fluffy lashes but without the itchy burning redness." They both laughed and Spied loved to her Jude laugh. It was one of the things he loved most about her. But being beautiful and talented didn't hurt either.

Jude noticed that Spied was looking at her weird. She decided to change the subject. She saw that he was carrying a bag in his hand, "So, what did you bring me?"

Spied gave Jude a sly grin, "Now what makes you think that anything in this bag is for you?" Jude made a pouty face at him, which immediately made him give in to her, "Okay. I stopped and picked up a few things on the way over. I just brought some necessities."

"Like what?" asked Jude. Spied starting pulling different items out of the bag. There were movies, microwave popcorn, and of course Kraft macaroni and cheese because he knew it was her favorite. Spied could really be a goofball at times, but there were some moments when he could be incredibly sweet too. Only Spied would think of bringing her Kraft macaroni and cheese to cheer her up. It was times like this when Jude knew exactly why he was her best friend.

Jude grabbed the movies out of Spied's hand to check out titles. He had gotten _Balls of Fury, The Comebacks, _and _Made of Honor_. Jude understood why he had gotten the first two titles, they got along perfectly with his sense of humor, but the last one didn't really sound like Spied at all. "What's up the romantic comedy, Spied?" Jude asked.

Spied really didn't know how to reply. He had seen the previews about the movie and he knew it was about a guy who had fallen in love with his best "girl" friend. It sounded so much like him and Jude, he had picked it up before he had a chance to really think about. He was hoping that the movie would give him the courage to tell Jude how he felt. But he wanted to see what her reaction to the movie was first.

"I just thought you might like to watch that movie. It's a chick flick. I was just trying to make you laugh," Spied finally answered. His explanation seemed to convince Jude for the moment at least. She told him to put _Balls o_f _Fury_ in first and they would watch the other two later. Jude and Spied sat on the couch watching the movie, having a popcorn fight, and singing along to the Def Leopard songs as they were playing in the movie. Jude was really feeling starting to feel better, she had almost forgotten that she had an eye infection.

After watching _Balls of Fury_, Spied thought it was time to watch _Made of Honor_. He and Jude were having such a great day. They always had such a good time together. Maybe it was time for him to tell her how he felt. Spied was trying to convince himself to tell Jude that he was in love with her, but on the other hand he was scared to death that his confession might ruin their friendship. He knew what he wanted, but he just didn't know what to do about it. Would Jude ever want to take their relationship to the next level? That's the burning question? But what is the answer? Would Spied ever take the chance to find out? Maybe just maybe, today could be the day.

Jude told Spied to put in another movie and she would go make some popcorn. As Jude was walking toward the kitchen, the doorbell rang. She told Spied to answer the door and that she would be back in a minute. Spied got up off the couch and went towards door. Little did he know who was going to be standing outside Jude's front door.

Outside the door, stood a very anxious Tommy. He wanted to see Jude so badly. He just knew that she would be home alone because he had already seen Sadie at work. What Tommy didn't pay attention to was the fact that Spied's car was parked across the street. Therefore, he had no idea that he was there with Jude.

Tommy had his head turned in the opposite direction when Spied opened the door. Spied was not at all happy with the sight in front of him. And when Tommy turned around his reaction was less that enthusiastic, "Oh, you're here. Where's Jude?" Spied wanted to slam the door in Tommy's face but he knew that Jude would kill him. So, just decided to torture him instead, "Hello Quincy. Did you come over to see me and Jude? Because Jude and I are having a great day together. If you know what I mean."

It took a lot of self-control for Tommy not to punch Spied in the face. Tommy knew that Spied was just trying to make him think that someone was going on between him and Jude. But what Spied didn't know was that Tommy didn't believe it for a minute. Not after what happened the day before. Tommy truly believed that Jude wanted to be with him and not Vincent Spiederman.

"Whatever, dork. As I said before, where's Jude?" Tommy asked again. Spied could believe just how much he really hated the person standing in front of him. Tommy could have any girl in the world that he wanted. Why did he have to pick Jude? She was supposed to be his girl not Tommy Quincy's.

Spied decided to have a discussion with Tommy about Jude, "Why are you here Tommy? Is Jude the next name on your list that you want to cross through? Because if she is, I think you should just back off. She doesn't need you coming around and making her think that you actually care."

After a deep breath, a furious Tommy was able to speak, "You don't know anything about me. And you definitely don't know anything about me and Jude. So I suggest that you are the one to back off. You really don't want to get in my face."

Silence had fallen between the two of them. Their disdain for each other was extremely apparent. Here stood two men, who were in love with the same woman and they both knew it. There was no way that this was going to end peacefully. But what kind of love triangle ever does?


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters in this story._

_**Note: Thank you so much to all that are reading my story. Here are a few responses for the reviews to chapter 8.**_

_**Danni16**__: _I am really happy that you like the storyline of Jude and Tommy meeting when she's seventeen. I thought it would be good it she wasn't quite so off limits.

_**Sazonlatino: **_I thought Tommy and Spied were funny in the last chapter too. Boys will be boys.

_**Raph33: **_Don't worry there is more of Jude and Tommy to come. Thank you for loving my story!

_**Thinkpink14148: **_I loved the comparison of Tommy, Jude, and Spied to Edward, Bella, and Jacob. I never thought about it like that before, although I have thought about some similarities between Tommy and Edward. It's weird because I started writing this story before I read Twilight, ( and now I am obsessed with all things Edward) but I wanted Tommy to be just wonderful instead of how he was on the show most of the time.

_**Danni.15: **_I am so glad that you found my story. I try to update every weekend. Thank you for the awesome compliment on my writing.

_**Mom2alandbec: **_You finally reviewed. Yay! I liked the "Whatever, dork" comment. It really does fit with how Tommy and Spied interact with each other on the show. I guess you will have to wait and find out if these to have a knock down, drag out or not. Hehe!

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Chapter 9: It's Just So Frustrating

Jude finally had appeared from the kitchen, she had a bowl of popcorn in her hand, "Hey Spied, who was at the…" Jude automatically stopped when she saw Tommy standing in the doorway. She wasn't expecting him, not that she didn't want to see him but she was still in her pajamas and her hair was up in a messy ponytail. And then of course there was the wonderful eye patch. Could she have looked any sexier?

As soon as Tommy saw Jude, his face softened into a sweet smile, "Hey, how are you feeling today?" Tommy couldn't help but think about how cute Jude looked in her tank top and sleep pants. He really just wanted to grab her and hug her. The sound of Tommy's voice gave Jude a feeling of bliss, "Hi Tommy. I am sorry I didn't call you last night. I was only up for a little while before I fell back asleep again. I am feeling better though."

Tommy guessed as much, "It's alright. I knew that you would be tired. I'm just glad that you got some rest." Jude and Tommy were just standing there lost in each other's eyes. This was starting to be the norm for these two. However, Spied had seen enough and it was actually starting to make him sick but also furious at the same time. He decided that is was time for him to speak, "Uh Jude, I see that you have the popcorn. Are we ready to watch the movie?" He was secretly thinking, "Please God, let her say yes and tell Tommy to leave."

Jude glanced at Spied, "In just minute. I need to speak to Tommy. Okay?" A huge smile spread across Tommy's face as Spied grabbed the bowl of popcorn out of Jude's hands and sulked back to the living room. Why did Tommy have to come along and mess up his perfect day with Jude? Spied didn't know how much more he could take of Tommy Quincy butting into his relationship with Jude or at least the one he wanted to have with her.

After Jude made sure that Spied had left the room, she asked Tommy if she could talk to him outside. Jude opened the front door and walked out. Tommy followed directly behind her. Both of them sat down on the first step beside each other. Their shoulders brushed against each other for a brief second, and Tommy had to fight the instinct to grab Jude's hand. He longed to have physical contact with her. Even if it was something as simple as holding her hand.

Although she was very nervous, Jude knew that she had to talk to Tommy about what happened the day before. "I want to thank you for coming to check on me yesterday and staying with me while Sadie was gone. It really means a lot to know that you were concerned about me." Tommy wanted to tell her how much of an understatement she had just made. He was far beyond just being concerned about her, "I wanted to make sure that you were alright. There is no place I would have rather been."

Those words put an instant smile on Jude's face, "Tommy, I have to be honest with you. I can't remember anything about yesterday. Sadie told me that you came to see me, and she also told me how she found us on the couch. Is that true?" Jude had an ill feeling in her stomach as she waited for Tommy's answer.

Tommy had the feeling that Jude wouldn't remember anything, "Somehow I knew you were going to say that you couldn't remember. But it's true, Sadie found us all cuddled up on the couch. You wanted me to sit with you, so I did and then we fell asleep."

Jude couldn't help but wonder if there was something that Tommy wasn't telling her, "Is that all? We were in each other's arms and I don't remember how it happened. It's just so frustrating."

Before Tommy had a chance to think his arm went up and around Jude's shoulder and he pulled her towards him. Her head was resting gently against his side as he spoke to her, "Jude, I would have never held you like that if I didn't think that is was what you wanted or that is was okay. I know you don't remember anything from yesterday, but I wouldn't change a moment of it."

Jude lifted her head to meet Tommy's eyes and just as their faces were slowly coming towards each other, they heard a clicking noise. Then they could see the flashing of lights coming from cameras in the distance. Stupid paparazzi!

When Tommy and Jude realized what was going on, Tommy grabbed Jude's arm and led her back into the house. With the sound of the door closing, Spied came out of the living room. He saw the odd looks on the faces of the two people in front of him, "What happened? You two look like you are in shock or something."

Jude was extremely upset that the paparazzi were taking pictures of her but she was even more upset that they had interrupted such a private moment between her and Tommy. Then she just imagined what the next day's headlines would be. It had been a while since she had been in the tabloids, but she should have known that spending time with Tommy would give the press plenty to talk about.

Tommy just kept apologizing to Jude, he never would have put her in such a position if he had known the press was nearby. Jude could tell that he was getting agitated and so she tried to calm him, "It's not your fault Tommy. This kind of thing just happens. When two celebrities start hanging out, it's only a matter of time until the press shows up. Don't worry about it."

Hearing this, Spied was not going to be as kind as Jude, "Now look what you've done Quincy, tomorrow Jude's face will be plastered on every tabloid. Great job!" Jude didn't like how Spied was talking to Tommy, "It's not his fault Spied. Stop being such a jerk. He didn't know that there were cameras around."

Spied tried not to show it but it really hurt that Jude had taken up for Tommy. He knew that he was losing any chance that he had to be with her. Tommy was winning her heart and that is last thing that Spied would have ever wanted. He felt like Tommy did not deserve to be with Jude. His only hope was that Quincy would somehow screw things up on his own.

As much as he hated to admit it, Tommy knew that Spied was right. It was his fault. Darius had warned him about this just the day before and look what had happened because he didn't listen. So much for playing it cool for a while. Now everyone would think that something was going on between them. Tommy wasn't worried about himself, he just didn't want Jude to be put in a position to have defend herself or her decisions.

Tommy decided that he better tell Jude the news he came to share with her and then leave. The longer he was there the more there would be speculation into their relationship. Tommy began, "I do have some good news. I had hoped to give tell you under better circumstances though." Jude was now curious, "What is it?"

"Well, Darius told me that it was leaked to him that our duet is going to hit number one this week and he wants us to come to a party at his penthouse on Saturday night to celebrate. He wants everyone from G Major to be there," replied Tommy.

Jude was in shock, she couldn't believe it. She had finally hit number one. After her first album was such a flop, she never expected that this would happen. Jude didn't know whether to scream or to cry. Before she could do either, Spied had her in a huge bear hug, "Jude, that is so awesome. You are really moving up. I'm so proud of you." Jude put her arms around Spied in acceptance of his congratulations.

A surge of jealousy shot through Tommy, he wanted to be the one in that embrace with Jude. But after what had just happened outside, he knew that he was going to have to be more cautious about displaying his feelings for her. Tommy came to the conclusion that is was time for him to leave. He needed some time to think, "I guess I'll be going now. I'll see you guys later."

Before Jude could say anything, Tommy was out the door and she could feel that there was something different about him as he left. She couldn't quite figure it out, but she thought he might just be upset about the paparazzi. At least she hoped that was all that it was. Jude broke herself from Spied's embrace and walked toward the window just in time to see Tommy's car speeding away.

The next day pictures of Tommy and Jude were on the front of every tabloid from coast to coast. There were pictures of them sitting on the step with Tommy's arm around Jude. There were others that showed their faces closely together, and even some of Tommy grabbing Jude's arm and pulling her back into her house. The headlines said everything from "Tommy Quincy's Young New Love Interest" to "Is Jude Harrison Really Woman Enough to take on Lil' Tommy Q?"

Tommy came into G Major wearing his black shades and a baseball cap. He didn't want to get any more attention that he had already gotten in the last twenty-four hours. He hated days like these but what he hated even worse was the way he just walked out on Jude. At this point, Tommy didn't feel like he knew what he was doing. He was all mixed up inside.

While Tommy was standing in the lobby with a lost look on his face, Darius walked by and demanded that he come to his office immediately. This was not going to be good and Tommy was going to hate it when Darius said the dreaded words. "I told you so." Tommy walked into Darius's office and took a seat across from his desk. As Darius was closing the door, Tommy was preparing himself for what was about to come.

Darius walked behind his desk and picked up a box and set it down if front of him. The box was full of tabloid newspapers with Tommy and Jude's pictures on the front. Darius gave Tommy a questioning look, "Well, what do you have to say now Tommy?" Tommy let out a sigh, "I don't really know what to say."

"You can start with telling my why you were sitting outside Jude's house with your arm around her? I thought there was nothing to tell." urged Darius.

Tommy tried to explain, "We were just talking and she just got a little upset. I was trying to comfort her. I didn't think it would turn into such a big deal."

Darius nodded his head, "That's just it man, you never seem to think anything through. You don't think about how the consequences of your actions could affect someone else."

Trying to maintain his temper, Tommy said, "That is not true. That is not who I am anymore. I care about Jude and I would never do anything to hurt her. I just can't figure out how those photogs knew that I was there." Darius tried quickly to change the subject, "Let's just try to look at the bright side of this. Publicity is publicity, and you and Jude both have albums coming out soon. So this could actually work to your advantage."

Now it was becoming clear to Tommy, just exactly what had happened, "It was you wasn't it? You tipped off the tabloids, and all for publicity. How could you do that to me and Jude?"

Darius didn't even pretend to be innocent, "What if I did? You needed to be taught a lesson. I told you to keep things on a friendly basis with Jude but I can tell that you are already beyond that."

Tommy was furious, "What am I supposed to do now?" Being full of ideas, Darius suggested that Tommy and Jude lay low for a few days and not be seen together until the party on Saturday night. This would give the rumors some time to die down and hopefully Jude and Tommy would have some peace for the time being.

He wanted to argue with Darius but he knew that he couldn't. Tommy would have to wait until Saturday to see Jude again. He got up and walked out of Darius's office. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He was going to send Jude a text message, he couldn't bare to hear her voice right now. It would be just too hard.

Jude was sitting at her kitchen table staring at the magazines that Sadie had brought home on her lunch break. Jude had no idea how many tabloid would be interested in pictures of her and Tommy. As her eyes were focused on the images in front of her, Jude couldn't help but think what a great couple that she and Tommy would make. Even in the pictures, it was obvious that there was a connection between the two of them.

The vibration of Jude's phone interrupted her thoughts. She picked up the phone and flipped it open to read the message she had received. She was really excited to see that it was from Tommy, that was until she read what it said, "_Jude, I have to go out of town for a few days. Darius thinks it will be a good idea for us not to be seen together until the party to let the talk about us die down a little. I'll see you Saturday_."

When Jude finished reading the text, she automatically dialed Tommy's number. She wanted to talk to him and see where he was going. Why did he feel the need to leave? Jude had so many questions to ask him, but they would all have to wait because Tommy had turned off his phone and his voicemail.

A feeling of utter confusion overcame Jude. What had happened? She and Tommy went from almost kissing on her doorstep to not seeing each other till Saturday. How was she supposed to get through the next few days without seeing Tommy or talking to him? All of the sudden Jude felt very lonely and at this moment she knew that he had fallen for him. Jude was in love with Tommy Quincy and she didn't have any idea of where he could be.

It didn't take long before Jude was dressed and on her way to G Major. She pulled into the parking lot and practically ran through the doors. Sadie caught sight of her sister and stopped her, "Jude, what are you doing? Is everything okay?" Jude was hoping to talk to Darius and see if he knew where Tommy had went but as she tried to explain what happened to Sadie, she broke down in tears.

Sadie quickly pulled Jude into the ladies' bathroom and gave her a loving big sister hug. Jude tried to speak through her sobs, "I don't know where he is Sadie. I can't get up with him because he turned off his phone. I just don't understand."

Sadie looked at her sister with sympathetic eyes, "I guess you finally figured out how you feel about Tommy, huh?"

A tiny grin appeared across Jude's face, "I love him Sadie. I can't explain how or why it happened. It just did and I need to know if there is a chance that he feels the same way."

Sadie smiled, "From the way that he was holding you while you were sleeping, I would say that he does. He had this look of love all over his face. It was very romantic."

Jude wanted to believe that what Sadie was saying was true, "But what about the age difference, Sadie? What if he can't get past it? Do we really stand a chance?"

"I can't answer that Jude. You and Tommy will have to determine that for yourselves. I do know one thing though, you can't put an age limit on love," remarked Sadie.

It was amazing how much better Jude felt after talking to Sadie. Who knew that she could give such good advice?

She was glad that Jude was calming down, but Sadie knew that Jude was still worried. She decided that she would take the rest of the day off and go do something with her, "Come on, let's get out of here. I'm in the mood for some shopping therapy."

Usually this suggestion would not appeal to Jude but she did need something fabulous to wear to the party on Saturday night, "Oh, I am so there. Let's go."

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_**(Note: I know this chapter wasn't quite that exciting but things definitely start heating up in the next few chapters. I think you guys will really like what I have in store for Jude.)**_


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters in the show. I also do not own the song "Deeper" sung by Alexz Johnson.

**_(Note to readers: I truly appreciate everyone that reads my story. Thank you once again for all of the kind reviews. I will try to respond to everyone's reviews again soon.)_**

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Chapter 10: Breathing Trouble

The next few days went by very slowly for Jude. She still hadn't heard from Tommy and she missed him like crazy. Her only solace was the fact that today was Saturday and tonight she would get to see Tommy, at least she hoped that she would. Tommy had said in his text that he would see her today and that fact was the only thing that was keeping her sane.

Jude's eye was finally feeling a lot better, so she didn't have to wear the eye patch anymore. And tonight Jude was going to make sure Tommy couldn't take his eyes off of her. Sadie had helped Jude pick out a very hot but somewhat Un-Jude like outfit. But Jude decided that is was okay to try something new since Tommy needed to see what he would be missing if he doesn't take the chance to be with her.

Sadie knew that Jude was feeling desperate when she agreed to not only let Sadie pick out an outfit for her, but she was also going to let Sadie do her hair and makeup. Jude only had one demand, "Please, just don't make me look like Malibu Barbie. Okay?" The sisters both cracked up at this comment. Sadie knew how important tonight was for Jude and she was going to do everything she could to make it a success.

It took several hours for the Harrison sisters to get ready for the party. Sadie worked like a professional doing Jude's hair and makeup, along with her own. They both looked absolutely beautiful when she was finished. Now it was time to put on the new dresses that they had bought. Sadie quickly dressed herself so that she could come and help Jude finish getting ready.

Sadie walked into Jude's bedroom to find her still standing in front of her mirror wearing her bathrobe, "Jude, what are you doing? Why aren't you getting dressed?"

Jude was staring at her new dress, "I don't know Sadie. Do you really think that I can pull this look off? It really isn't me."

Sadie gave Jude a determined look, "Yes, it is you. It's the new more confident you. Now get that dress on. The sooner we get there the sooner you can make Tommy start to drool."

Jude pulled the black dress off the hanger. It was a halter dress with a flowing skirt that ended about three inches above Jude's knees. The second that Jude put the dress on, she felt different. It really did look good on her, which gave her an instant boost of confidence. Tommy is not going to know what hit him or at least that is the reaction that Jude was hoping for.

Darius had asked Sadie to come to the party a little early to go over the guest list one more time, so she had to go ahead and leave. Jude was coming down the stairs when she heard the doorbell ring. Jude's heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest. She had hoped, but didn't seriously believe that Tommy would come and pick her up.

She took a deep breath and then she opened the door to find a very stunned Vincent Spiederman. After Spied was finally able to close his mouth he was able to speak, "Jude, uh, you look amazing." Jude tried very hard to hide her disappointment, "Thanks Spied. What are you doing here?"

Spied replied, "I just thought we could ride to the party together. I know that Sadie had to be there early and I didn't think that you wanted to walk in by yourself."

Spied didn't know just how right he was. It was true, Jude didn't want to walk in by herself, she wanted to walk in with Tommy. But since that apparently wasn't going to happen, she might as well take Spied up on his offer. "Okay Spied, let's go. We've got a party to get to."

The ride to the party was rather quiet. Jude was really nervous about seeing Tommy and she really just didn't feel like talking. Spied, now he was speechless for a different reason. Although he was driving, he couldn't help but look at Jude. She looked so beautiful and he knew just who is was that she was looking beautiful for. His heart was breaking into pieces and all he could do was let it fall apart. Jude had fallen for someone else and he would have to live with it.

Spied finally pulled up to the building where Darius lived. A valet opened the door for Jude and then proceeded to come around to the other side so he could park the car. "Wow, Darius really does live in the lap of luxury," commented Spied.

Jude laughed, "Yeah, I'm surprised that he is actually allowing you to set one foot in his place." Spied faked a hurt look, "Why Jude Harrison, are you saying that you are better than me?"

Jude answered back with, "But of course, " as she flipped her hair and playfully stuck her nose in the air. They both laughed and headed to the elevator.

Once inside the party, Jude started to scan the room for Tommy. But she was out of luck, Tommy still wasn't there. Jude quickly excused herself from Spied's company by telling him that she had to go find Sadie. After a few minutes of roaming around, Jude finally found her sister, "Sadie, have you seen Tommy?" Sadie shook her head, "No, but Kwest said that he is supposed to be here."

Jude couldn't stand it any longer, she walked out to the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. If Tommy wasn't in the penthouse, maybe he was still in the lobby. Jude had noticed that a lot of people were still hanging out when she first came in. The elevator doors opened and Jude stepped inside. She pressed the button for the lobby and waited for the doors to open once again.

The elevator made a beeping sound and the door opened. Jude was about to step out when someone stepped inside with her. Jude felt like she couldn't breathe as Tommy stood next to her. But she wasn't the only one having trouble breathing. Tommy took one look at Jude and he could barely catch his breath.

Tommy looked deep in to Jude's eyes, "My God, you look absolutely breathtaking. I'm serious, you have literally taken my breath away."

Jude smiled shyly, "Don't say that if you don't really mean it." Tommy moved closer toward her as the elevator doors closed and started changing floors.

Tommy took Jude's hand in his, "I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. I could never lie to you."

As Jude opened her mouth to speak, she felt her body jolt backwards. Tommy grabbed her hand tighter to steady her before she fell. Jude gave Tommy a startled look, "What just happened?" Tommy didn't want Jude to be afraid but he knew he had to tell her, "The elevator is stuck. We could be in here for a while."

Jude pressed a button and grabbed the little red phone out of the box to call for help. When Jude heard a voice pick up on the line, she explained that she was stuck on the elevator and she needed someone to fix it immediately. The maintenance staff assured Jude that they would do everything they could to get the elevator into working order as soon as possible. Jude hung up the phone and told Tommy what was said. Jude was trying not to panic. Even though she was stuck in there with Tommy, she couldn't help but feel scared.

It's going to be okay, Jude. They will have this fixed in no time," Tommy said trying to soothe Jude's nerves. Normally Jude didn't have a problem with closed in spaces, but for some reason the smallness of the elevator really bothered her. All of the sudden, a thought popped into her head, "Didn't you say that you were claustrophobic, Quincy? Why aren't you freaking out?"

Uh Oh! Tommy just got through saying that he could never lie to Jude. How was he supposed to answer the question without giving himself away? He thought a moment and said, "It comes and goes?"

Jude wanted a better explanation, "It comes and goes? Really. I didn't think that was possible. Would you care to explain just how that works?"

Tommy suddenly knew that the elevator wasn't the only thing he was trapped in, "Okay, I wasn't telling the truth that one time. I'm not claustrophobic, that day when I left the studio it was because I got scared." Jude didn't understand, "What do you mean?"

"Jude, I had just met you and I had all these emotions that came at me so quickly. I didn't know how to handle it at the time," answered Tommy.

Jude then caught him off guard, "And you do now? Then tell me why you left and didn't call me at all while you were gone?"

That was a question Tommy knew he would have answer sooner or later but he was really hoping it would be later. Tommy exhaled and began, "I didn't want to leave. Darius thought it would be a good idea, so I went along with it. I wanted to keep us out of the public eye and I knew it would be too hard for me to stay away from you if I was here. So I left."

It wasn't a great answer but it was an answer. Still, Jude wanted to know more, "Where did you go? Somewhere that you could make sure you wouldn't think about me?"

Those words make Tommy feel a sting in his heart, "Jude, there is no place in the world where I could go and not think about you. I ended up going to a friend's lake house. It was very quiet and I had plenty of time to do nothing but think." Tommy noticed that while he was talking that Jude was starting to get pale.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I don't know, I have never felt like this before, but I have never been stuck in an elevator before either. I am starting to feel a little sick," answered Jude. Tommy looked at her with concern, "What you need to do is get your mind off the situation."

Jude smiled, "Oh really, and just how do you propose that I do that?" Tommy laughed, "Well, I don't know what you have on your mind, but I thought it might calm you down if you were to sing one of your songs. I know how much you love to sing. What do you think?"

"Well, I do have a new song that I have been working on, but I don't know if I am ready for you to hear it yet," replied Jude.

With pleading eyes, Tommy said, "Please, Jude. I really want to hear it. You should know by now that I will love anything that you write."

She was unsure about singing such a personal song to Tommy, but it was the only song that Jude could think off. "Alright, but you have to promise to not say anything until the song is finished," demanded Jude. Tommy agreed, so Jude readied herself to sing the latest song she wrote about him, or rather the two of them together.

While Jude was stuck in the elevator with Tommy, Spied was worried because he hadn't seen her in awhile. He had no idea where Jude was and he was getting worried. He decided to do find Sadie and see if she knew anything.

Sadie was talking to Darius trying to explain the elevator situation, when Spied came up behind them and overheard their conversation. "Jude is stuck in the elevator. Is she okay? Is there anyone else in there with her?" questioned Spied.

"We don't know if there is anyone in there with her or not. The maintenance staff said that Jude called them but didn't mention anyone else in the elevator. And now they say that the phone in the elevator isn't working, so they can't talk to her," Sadie expressed with concern.

Spied was getting ready to take off toward the elevator when Sadie abruptly stopped him. She figured that is was a good time as any to confront him, "Spied, I know that you really care about Jude but it might be time to let her go. I don't want you to get hurt, but you have to know that there is someone else."

He couldn't believe his ears, Sadie was telling him to give up on Jude, the girl he has been in love with for years. "That is easier said than done, Sadie. You can't just turn off your feelings even when there is someone else in the picture," Spied said with such a sad tone that it made Sadie feel truly sorry for him. With one last heartbroken look, Spied headed toward the elevator.

Meanwhile, in the elevator Jude was about to lay her heart on the line. After hearing her song Tommy would know exactly how she felt. The only question for her was, how would he react? Does he feel the same? Jude decided that it was time to find out. She fought back her nerves and opened her mouth to sing:

_If we don't talk_

_That's okay_

_Cause I hear everything_

_That you say_

_You got my heart to mend to you_

_A hole that hurts inside_

_It shows_

_And you can't hide_

_But if we open up_

_We'll break through_

_You and I go deeper_

_Down below where no one sees it_

_When you close your eyes_

_And just believe it_

_You and I go deeper_

_Where everything's unspoken_

_And the world seems so wide open_

_To me now_

_You got broken once before_

_Closed your heart up_

_And said no more_

_We were trying not to fall_

_Afraid of letting go_

_Wait until we know now_

_You and I go deeper_

_Down below where no one sees it_

_When you close your eyes_

_And just believe it_

_You and I go deeper_

_Where everything's unspoken_

_And the world seems so wide open_

_To me now_

_And the morning shines much brighter to me_

_Somehow, maybe this can last forever_

_If we follow what we feel_

_And you love me like I know you will_

_You and I go deeper_

_Down below where no one sees it_

_When you close your eyes_

_And just believe it_

_You and I go deeper_

_Where everything's unspoken_

_And the world seems so wide open to me_

_You and I go deeper_

_Down below where no one sees it_

_When you close your eyes_

_And just believe it_

_You and I go deeper_

_Where everything's unspoken_

_And the world seems so wide open_

_To me now_

After Jude finished her song, she looked down for a moment before bringing her eyes back up level with Tommy's. Her heart was beating wildly and she was breathing heavy as she looked up to see Tommy coming closer to her. Tommy was overcome with such strong emotions, he wanted to take Jude in his arms but he felt himself holding back for some reason. She sensed his hesitation and closed the gap between their bodies.

Jude took Tommy's face into her hands and moved her lips closer to his. Tommy couldn't hold back any longer. He couldn't fight the desire he was feeling in this moment. He had been longing to feel the touch of her lips, to taste the sweetness of her kiss. Tommy wrapped his arms around Jude's waist and pressed his lips to hers.

There was an explosion of passion as Tommy's mouth opened to intensify the kiss. Jude had never felt such a rush of emotions. She hungered for more, as did Tommy. After so much anticipation, neither of them could have imagined a kiss so passionate and so full of love. The magnetic force between them was so undeniable, it was impossible for them to pull away. They kissed again and again with all the yearning of two people who needed each other as much as they needed the air they were breathing.

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**_So what do you guys think about Jude and Tommy's kiss? Steamy, too steamy, not steamy enough? Please review and let me know. I hope I got the lyrics to "Deeper" correct, I looked them up on the internet._**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters in this story.

_**(Note: I am so sorry that I did not get to update this past weekend. As everyone knows, sometimes life gets in the way of the things we want to do. Anyway, thank you so much for the comments. They really do mean a lot.)**_

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Chapter 11: Misunderstandings

Jude and Tommy were still lost in each other, when all of the sudden they felt another jolt. The elevator was starting to move again. As much as they didn't want the kiss to end, the movement of the elevator caused each of them to pull back. They just stood there, neither of them knowing what to say.

Tommy was so overwhelmed, he knew what had just happened only made him that much more in love with Jude. All the thoughts of holding himself back and trying to patiently wait for her had disappeared. He wanted her too much, he couldn't stand it anymore.

It was the same with Jude, she was so in love the man standing in front of her. She wanted to be in his arms again, to feel that passion once again. She stepped towards Tommy as he whispered, "Jude, I……." Tommy's voice trailed off, he didn't have the words to tell her how he felt. He kind of had a stunned look on his face, a look that Jude totally misunderstood.

"What is it Tommy? Were you going to say that this was a mistake? That you were just caught up in the moment? What?" Jude asked with anger and confusion. Tommy was taken back by the unexpected change in mood from Jude. He knew that she had taken his loss for words as a sign of regret instead of how he really felt.

"No, Jude that's not it. I just didn't know what to say. Please don't take my silence the wrong way," begged Tommy. But Jude was already upset and slightly embarrassed, she felt like she had taken a huge chance and now she just wanted to get out of the elevator, "I think that is it too late for that now, Tommy."

The doors to the elevator opened to reveal a very worried Spied. Jude saw him and ran towards him as her eyes started to feel with tears. Tommy called after her, "Jude, wait!"

But she was already running down the hallway, pulling Spied along with her. Spied knew that something had happened in that elevator, he turned and smirked at Tommy as he followed Jude. Yeah, Tommy Quincy somehow screwed things up with Jude all on his own and Spied knew it.

Devastated, Tommy didn't move. He stayed on the elevator as the doors closed and he let all the weight of his body fall against the back wall. How could he have been such an idiot?

In a short space of time, he had went from having the perfect moment to watching the love of his life run away from him crying. Why didn't he just tell her how he felt? Was he really at a loss for words or was he scared to admit his feelings to her? Tommy was starting to wonder why the words wouldn't come when he needed them the most.

Jude walked through the door of Darius's penthouse and immediately set off the try and find a restroom. She hadn't spoken a word to Spied, but he knew that she just needed some time and she also needed a moment to herself.

"There's a bathroom over there," he said. Jude simply said thanks as she made her way to the door. She opened the door, walked inside, then locked it behind her. She put her back against the door and slowly slid to the floor.

Jude felt like she was in a state of despair, tears were streaming down her face now. She didn't even try to hold them back.

Sadie saw Jude enter the penthouse, she could tell that she was upset, so she headed in her direction. She saw Spied and asked him what had happened. Spied told her that he really didn't know, "All I can say is that Jude wasn't alone in the elevator. Tommy was in there with her, and when the doors opened she ran out crying." Sadie was furious, Tommy had told her that he would never hurt Jude. What did he do to her?

Tommy was about to get off the elevator and head home, but he realized something. He had to try to fix this quickly before Jude gave up on him. If he waited, she might not give him the chance to explain himself. There was no way that he was going to lose her over a misunderstanding.

Sadie knocked on the door of the bathroom, "Jude, it's me. Let me in." She heard the door unlock, Sadie opened the door and went inside. She looked at her sister and immediately saw her pain, "What happened Jude? Spied told me that Tommy was in the elevator with you. What did he do to make you cry?"

Even though Jude found it hard to speak, she knew Sadie wouldn't leave her alone until she did. Jude wiped her eyes as she started the account, "I got in the elevator to go and see if I could find Tommy. When the elevator stopped, Tommy got on. We only went up a few floors and it stopped again. We were stuck." Sadie nodded her head, "Okay, so what happened next?"

Jude continued, "Well, we talked for a little while, but then I started to feel sick. Tommy suggested that I get my mind off the situation by singing. So, I sang him the new song I wrote and we started kissing." This news surprised Sadie, "Oh my god, you kissed him. What was it like?"

The thought of the kiss filled Jude with joy and pain at the same time. "It was the most magnificent moment of my life. When I was in his arms, everything was perfect. I've never felt anything like it before and now I don't know if I ever will again."

"What do you mean?" asked Sadie. Tears were starting to fall as Jude tried to go on, "The elevator started to move. Then we pulled apart and just looked at each other. Tommy started to speak but then he just stopped. He had this weird look on his face. I just knew he was going to say it was a mistake, and I didn't want to hear it. I stopped him before he could say anything else. And now I'm here in the bathroom with you."

With a sigh, Sadie asked, "If you didn't let him finish, how do you know what he was going to say?" Jude replied with, "You didn't see the look on his face. He obviously was having second thoughts about what happened."

Sadie almost laughed, "Oh come on Jude, how many times have I told you that men are stupid. Most of them say the wrong thing at the worst times. And as for the looks they get on their faces, you can't read to much into that either. Men are just idiots sometimes, Jude. But that doesn't mean that they can't be wonderful too. I know that you love Tommy and that is not something you need to throw away so easily. You really should talk to him."

What Sadie said make sense to Jude's head but it was her heart that was having trouble believing it. She didn't want to see Tommy right now, much less look at him. How could she face him after what just happened? What if she had over-reacted? Now she was starting to feel sick to her stomach again.

Meanwhile, Tommy was making his way through the penthouse searching for Jude. He spotted Spied, but no Jude. He hated that he would have to talk to Spied, but he knew he would have to suck it up and ask him where he could find Jude.

Spied was still standing outside of the restroom. He was making sure no one bothered Jude and Sadie. Tommy came up and stood beside of him and started to speak. But Spied did not want to hear it, "Save it Quincy. I don't care about what you have to say. You screwed up and now you want to try to fix it, don't you? Can't you just stay away from Jude?"

Tommy could tell that it was not the time to argue, "Listen, I just want to talk to her. I want to make sure that she is okay and I need to clear up something. After that, I leave I promise. Just tell me where she is, please?"

Spied hated to admit it but Tommy did at least sound sincere, whether he meant what he was saying or not. "Alright, she's in the bathroom with Sadie. They've been in there a while. I don't know how long it will be before they come out."

Tommy knocked on the door, he heard Sadie's voice say, "Just a minute." But Tommy didn't stop knocking. Sadie decided to go out and see what was going on. She opened the door to see Tommy's face. She quickly closed the door behind her before Jude saw him too.

"What do you want, Tommy?" asked Sadie. Tommy replied, "You know what I want. I need to talk to Jude. I have to explain my actions. She has to know how I feel. Please let me talk to her."

Sadie knew that Jude wouldn't come out to talk to Tommy, so she did the only thing she could think of. She opened the door to the bathroom and pushed Tommy inside. Now Jude would have to face him and listen to what he had to say.

Jude was at the sink trying to wash off the mascara that had been running down her face when she heard the door close behind her. She thought that is was Sadie coming back in to check on her. "Did you scare whoever it was away or was it just Spied wanting to know what was going on?" Jude asked. But there was no reply to her question. Jude said her sister's name, "Sadie?"

Tommy finally spoke, "It's not Sadie, Jude." Jude immediately turned around and saw Tommy standing there with her in the bathroom. She was surprised, but still upset with him, "What do you want?"

Tommy could tell by her tone that this wasn't going to be easy, "I came to talk to you. I need you to know something."

"I can't say that I'm not curious to hear what you have to say, but why are we having this conversation in the bathroom?" inquired Jude. Tommy gave a weak smile, "I told Sadie that I needed to talk to you, so she opened the door and pushed me inside here." Jude glared at Tommy as she said, "I'll have to remind myself to thank her later."

"Okay, I deserve that and anything else you have to say to me. But I still want you to know a few things about me, so that you will understand me a little better," Tommy paused a moment and then he continued. "I haven't always been a very honest person especially when it comes to my feelings. I also never really worried about how my actions affected other people in my life. I was out for myself and that is all I cared about until I met you. I took one look into your eyes and I knew that a change had taken place inside of me."

Even though Tommy sounded convincing, Jude was still skeptical, "And you expect me to believe you? One look into my eyes. That sounds like a line from a cheesy romance novel. Come on Tommy, you are going to have to do a lot better than that."

"I know that what I am saying is hard for you to believe, Jude. But it's true, ever since we met, I've been a different person. I don't exactly mean that I just changed overnight because I made up my mind some time ago to change the way I was living, although it wasn't until I met you that I had a real reason to put forth the effort. I don't want to be the person that I used to be. That's why I have tried to be so careful and after what happened with the tabloids, I started to think that getting involved with me would lead to trouble for you." Tommy decided to stop talking for a moment because he felt like he was starting to ramble.

Jude took the opportunity to speak, "Tommy, I don't understand. If you trying to be careful and were worried about getting involved with me, then why did you kiss me? Why are you here right now?"

Tommy was beginning to fear that he wasn't going to get through to Jude, "I kissed you because I have been wanting to since the first time I saw you sitting the lobby at G Major. I should have said that to you earlier but I couldn't find the words at the time. Then you misunderstood my silence and got so upset. I started to think that maybe our timing was off…….."

Hearing those words, Jude interrupted Tommy, "Timing! Our timing was off. I'll give you timing. You can have all the time in the world to think about could have been. I am out of here." Jude headed towards the door and turned the knob. Tommy tried to stop her but it was too late. She was gone and he never even got to finish his last sentence.

He wanted to say that he starting thinking that maybe their timing was off, but he knew in his heart that he couldn't stand to spend another moment without her. Somehow, he had to convince Jude that he wasn't afraid to be with her. But how? He would figure something out. He knew that he had to, because there was no way that he was going to let Jude slip through his fingers.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the Characters in the show.

**_(Note: I am so sorry that I am updating so late this time. I will try to do better. Again, thanks for the reviews and comments. They make me happy.)_**

* * *

Chapter 12: Trying Again

As Jude was walking out of the bathroom, Sadie caught her arm quickly before anyone else had the chance to talk to her. Sadie had been waiting to talk to Jude, she wanted to know how the conversation went between her and Tommy. It was painfully obvious that the talk did not go very well.

"What happened Jude?" Sadie asked. Jude was still mad at Sadie for pretty much ambushing her into talking to Tommy. Jude gave Sadie a scowl, "How do you think it went? You were so right when you said that men are stupid and Tommy Quincy is one of the best examples of that statement. And by the way, thanks for literally pushing us together. It really worked out great."

Sadie couldn't help but give Jude a slight smile, "Oh, come on Jude. You knew that you would have to deal with him sooner or later. I just thought that the sooner you guys worked this out the better it would be for both of you. What did Tommy say to you?"

Jude didn't want to have to repeat everything, so she just gave Sadie a short summary, "Well, Tommy told me that he hasn't always been honest about this feelings but he has changed because of me. He tried to explain that earlier in the elevator he just couldn't put into words the way he felt and then he said something about our timing being off. That's when I had enough and stormed out."

"Uh huh," was all that Sadie said. Jude was puzzled by Sadie's reaction to what she had just told her, "Is that all you have to say? Did you understand what I just said? You have to have more than _uh huh_?" Sadie didn't want to make her sister mad but she had to let Jude know how badly she had overreacted again.

"What is wrong with you Jude? The man that you are in love with admitted that he has strong feelings for you. You shared an amazing moment with him in the elevator and he also stated that he had changed because of you. I am not seeing the problem here," Sadie was actually starting to get aggravated with Jude.

It really surprised Jude that Sadie seemed to be taking Tommy's side on this, "Did you not hear the part where he said that maybe our timing was off? Who kisses someone with such passion and then says something like that? Don't I have the right to be upset about that?"

"Do you remember when you asked me about the age difference between you and Tommy? You wanted to know if he could get past it, right?" Sadie inquired. Jude nodded for Sadie to continue. "Tommy is laying his heart on the line for you despite the age difference and your overreacting to everything could be making him reconsider whether you are ready to have a relationship with him. I can tell that he does truly care about you. Maybe it's you that's afraid, and not Tommy."

She hated to admit it, but Sadie was right. Jude was so afraid of losing Tommy that she was messing up any chance to be with him. Tommy really was trying to tell her how he felt about her. How many guys would come into a bathroom after the way she acted and try to explain himself? Not many. That's what makes Tommy so different. Sadie was right. It wasn't Tommy that was afraid of his feelings, it was Jude.

After Tommy was finally able to leave the bathroom, he walked out into the crowd of the people. Everyone was either talking or dancing. They were having a good time and Tommy felt like the walls were closing in on him. He felt like he needed some air. He started to make his way to the balcony.

He stepped out into the cool night air and breathed in deeply. It was so peaceful, Tommy contemplated the possibility of staying out there until all of the people were gone. He was in no mood to have to face people, not after what had just happened with Jude. He had to think of a way to convince her that he wanted to be with her. On the other hand, he was trying to figure out why she was being so stubborn. Was she afraid to be with him? He didn't have the best reputation in the past, maybe she was hesitant for the fear of being hurt.

Tommy gripped on to the railing and forced himself to hold back the urge he had to scream. Suddenly the door opened behind him, it was Kwest. He had seen his friend enter the party but lost track of him until he saw Tommy head towards the balcony. He could tell that something was wrong.

Kwest asked with a tone of concern, "Hey, what's going on? Did something happen with Jude?" Tommy did not even know how to begin to answer that question, "I did it. I crossed the line tonight. I kissed Jude and I have to admit that it was the most exhilarating moment of my life."

"I had the feeling that something like that was going to happen. I know that you said you could wait to be with her but I knew that you had fallen too hard. I was wondering when it would all get to be too much for you. Why aren't you with Jude right now?" Kwest waited for Tommy's answer.

With a sigh, Tommy began to speak, "After the kiss everything just seemed to fall apart. I got silent and she misunderstood that. And when I tried to explain what I was feeling, I messed that up too. She got so mad and stormed away from me. I don't know what to do. Maybe I should just give her some time to cool off." Kwest shook his head in agreement.

"Maybe she just needs some time Tommy. You have to remember that she is young and this is all very new to her. Emotions like the ones that you have for each can be a lot to handle at seventeen or at any age for that matter. But Jude is very mature for her age, most of the time. She'll come around. Don't worry, it will out work out," Kwest said trying to be convincing.

Tommy tried to hide his pain, "I guess you're right. I'll just wait until Jude is ready and willing to talk to me. I know that she wants to be with me. She just needs to realize that I don't want to hurt her. I've tried everything to keep from doing just that. I hope that you are right, Kwest. I hope that she does come around and the sooner the better."

The prospect of giving Jude some time was kind of scared to Tommy. He didn't want to do anything that would risk losing her. He wanted her to know that he wasn't going to give up on her but he didn't want to give her another reason to blow up at him again. It was tearing him up inside and anyone who looked at him could see that he was hurting.

Kwest talked Tommy into coming back inside. It took awhile but Tommy had gotten enough courage to face the people at the party. When they walked in, it didn't take long before Tommy's eyes connected with Jude's. She was still standing with Sadie and still looking extremely beautiful but with a hint of sadness in her eyes. It hurt Tommy so badly to see Jude that way. He wanted to go to her immediately but he restrained himself.

When Jude looked into Tommy's eyes, she could see the same sadness staring back at her. Why did she have to behave like an immature idiot? She wanted Tommy to know that she was ready and mature enough to be with him. She was worried that she had just proven the opposite to be true. She wanted to go talk to him, but her pride wouldn't let her.

Unexpectedly, the music stopped playing and everyone could hear Darius speaking into the DJ's microphone. He said, "Let's give it up for our guests of honor, Tommy Quincy and Jude Harrison. They have the number one single in the country right now. So, at this time I would like both of them to come up here and sing their hit _No Air." _Everyone started screaming and clapping.

This totally took Tommy and Jude both surprise. Neither of them felt in the mood to sing, especially not with each other. Jude turned to Sadie with a panicked look, "I can't go up there. I don't think that I can get through singing a song with Tommy right now. I just can't."

Sadie grabbed Jude's shoulders, "Listen Jude, you don't really have a choice here. Darius is the boss and you don't want to make him mad. You have to be professional and put your personal feelings aside. Now go."

Jude walked toward the small stage that Darius had set up for the DJ's equipment. Tommy saw her making her way to Darius so he promptly followed. He wondered how this was going to work out. How were they going to sing together and make it look like nothing had happened? This was not going to be easy.

Tommy and Jude took their places, one on each side of Darius. He just looked so smug, standing there between his two artists. Their success definitely made him look good, which was the whole reason for the party. Darius loved publicity and wasn't afraid of using people or exploiting them to get it.

"Are you two ready to sing?" asked Darius. Jude nodded, "Anything for you Darius." Tommy agreed, "Of course, I'm always ready." Darius smiled and gave the DJ the okay to go ahead and start the soundtrack. He then left and gave the stage to an extremely uncomfortable Jude and Tommy.

Once the music started, they were able to soften towards each other. The melody had a very soothing affect on them both. Jude opened her mouth to sing and she instantly felt better. Tommy was getting into the song too. They mostly looked at the crowd while singing the lyrics. There were very few instances when their eyes meet during the song. Both of them were trying to hide what they were feeling.

After the song was finished, they thanked the crowd for their applause. Tommy stayed upon stage, but Jude left the stage and headed towards the back of the crowd. Tommy's heart broke a little more with each step that she took.

Tommy decided that he had to give it one more try tonight. He couldn't help himself when it came to Jude. He loved her too much to chance losing her. As he was watching her walk away from him, he got an idea. He asked for a guitar, he knew that Darius had a collection of them. Kwest quickly grabbed one and brought it to Tommy.

It was supposed to be a little while before anyone heard a Tommy Quincy original but that didn't matter anymore. Tommy had written a song when he started falling for Jude. It talked about his past and about taking chances. He hoped that she would understand how he felt when she heard it. He was scared at first of the intensity of emotion he had for Jude, but he was willing to take a risk.

Kwest placed a chair on the stage and adjusted the microphone so Tommy could sit down and sing. This was it, Tommy was going to let everyone know how he felt about Jude, and he didn't care what other people thought. He only cared about stopping Jude before she slipped away. Tommy began to strum the guitar.

Jude heard the sound of a guitar but she didn't turn around. She just kept walking until she heard these words come out of Tommy's mouth, "This song is for someone very special to me. I want her to know that I won't run no matter what happens. I won't give up." Jude then turned around to face Tommy as began to sing:

_Don' t take another step._

_Don''t give up on me just yet._

_We could take a chance._

_We could find romance._

_At least we'd love until we can't._

_I won't run when it looks like love,_

_I won''t hide beneath the fear _

_Of how my past has come undone._

_I won''t run when it looks like love,_

_I can''t spend another night alone,_

_Regretting what I've done._

_So, I won't run._

_The breeze can only be_

_When she overcomes the heat._

_Our hearts can only shake _

_When there's a risk that they could break._

_That's a chance that I will take._

_I won't run when it looks like love,_

_I won't hide beneath the fear _

_Of how my past has come undone._

_I won't run when it looks like love,_

_Cause I can't spend another night alone,_

_Regretting what I've done._

_So, I won't run._

_Raise your head_

_It's time to say those words_

_That I left unsaid_

_I won't run when it looks like love,_

_I won't hide beneath the fear _

_Of how my past has come undone._

_I won't run when it looks like love,_

_Cause I can't spend another night alone,_

_Regretting what I've done._

_So, I won't run._

It was impossible to hide the fact that Tommy was singing that song directly to Jude. You could hear people making phone calls and snapping pictures with their cell phones. Everyone was spreading the news that Tommy Q was serenading Jude in front of everyone at Darius's penthouse. Not that Jude and Tommy cared or even noticed. They were in a world of their own.

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**_(Note: I do not own "Looks Like Love" by Need to Breathe. I did change a few of the lyrics and leave a few things out.)_**


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters in the show._

_**(Note: I am trying to get into graduate school which is why I have been delayed on updating. I am sorry. I hope you all continue to enjoy the story. Thank you so much for your kind reviews.)**_

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Chapter 13: Business Comes First

Tommy finished his song, stood up, and grabbed the microphone, "Jude, I just wanted to say that…………" All of the sudden everything went silent, someone had cut the sound. Tommy looked around and saw a furious Darius Mills. He should have known the he wouldn't be happy about what Tommy just did after the whole tabloid extravaganza, which was Darius's fault in the first place.

Darius nodded toward some people and Jude was immediately surrounded by a crowd who were asking questions and taking pictures. She wanted to go talk to Tommy, but now she couldn't even see him because of the crowd that had overtaken her.

"We need to talk now," demanded Darius. He walked down the hall to his study. Tommy quickly followed since Darius's security guards had given him no choice. Two extremely huge men were directly behind Tommy the whole time, so there was no chance he was going to get away to talk to Jude at the moment.

As they entered the study, Tommy was told to have a seat. Darius knew that Tommy would have a hard time keeping Jude and Tommy away from each until she was legal. Therefore, he devised a plan, "I have set up a World Tour for you." Tommy as in shock, "What do you mean? My album hasn't even been released yet. How could you plan this without me?

Darius smirked, "I am your manager, as well as, the owner of the studio you currently hold a contract with. So, I can pretty much do anything that I want. And you have to do as I say or I'll get you for breach of contract."

An infuriated Tommy stood up, "You did this to keep me away from Jude, didn't you?" Why does this matter so much to you?"

"Bad publicity can contribute to low records sales and Jude's last album sales were in the toilet. I need her focus on her music and her second album. Also, your duet with her created so much buzz for you and people are demanding your album, I decided to give you an earlier release date and send you on tour. That way everybody wins," Darius explained.

Tommy was so disheartened, "Yeah, everyone but me and Jude." Darius tried to sound sincere, "Don't worry about Jude. She will be fine, she's a team player. We'll take good care of her."

How was Tommy going to tell Jude about the tour? She looked like he hadn't gotten through to her with the song. He needed to talk to her.

He walked toward the door when Darius spoke again, "You better go home and get packed, you leave at 6:00am tomorrow morning."

Tommy wanted to push Darius through a wall, "That doesn't give me much time. Thanks a lot, I'll remember this moment when it my contract is up. I think it's pretty safe to say that I won't be renewing it."

Darius just laughed, "Oh, and Tommy, my security will take you out the back, you know to make sure that there won't be any problems."

Darius's thugs escorted Tommy out to his car and made sure that he got in and left. Darius was pretty pleased with himself, he had forced Tommy to go on a world tour and would have Jude working without having Tommy around to distract her. Of course, with Darius business always comes first.

Tommy pulled out of the parking garage and sped down the street. He turned a corner and pulled his car over. The anger raging in him was almost too much for him to take. How could Darius do this to him? What was he going to do about Jude? She didn't even know that he would be leaving very early the next morning. He had to see her before he left but he knew that there was no way that Darius was going to let him back in the penthouse.

He flipped open his cell phone to try to call Jude but it went straight to voicemail. He left Jude a message for her to call him as soon as possible. Tommy was becoming more and more frustrated. A few months ago, the thought of a world tour would have been exactly what he wanted. But now that he met Jude, he didn't know how he was going to handle being away from her for such a long period of time.

Meanwhile, back at the party Sadie had rescued Jude from the mob that encircled her. Jude was so thankful to get away, now she could go talk to Tommy if she could find him. Her eyes roamed around the room but saw no sign of Tommy. She asked Sadie, but she had no idea where he could be either.

As both Sadie and Jude walked around looking for Tommy, Kwest made his way towards them. They could tell that he did not look happy. Jude asked, "What's up?"

Kwest didn't know where to start, "Darius was furious after what Tommy did earlier. I saw Darius, Tommy, and two others go into a room down the hall. They were in there a few minutes and the two men walked Tommy out the back way. I could see that he was livid when he left. I just wish I knew what was going on."

Sadie saw that Jude was getting upset, "Kwest why don't you go and see what you can find out while I talk to Jude for a moment." Kwest could tell that the sisters needed some time, so he went to go find Darius.

Jude eyes began to tear up, "Sadie, I don't understand. Why is it any of Darius's business what is going on between me and Tommy?"

"Darius is all about making money, Jude. He feels the need to control the people around him. If something doesn't go the way he wants it to, he figures out a way to change it. He pushes people around, it's just who he is," Sadie answered Jude's question but she could see that her sister still didn't understand.

Jude was extremely worried, "I didn't get to talk to Tommy before he left. I want to apologize him for behaving like such an idiot. I wanted him to know how much I loved that song and how much it meant to me. It was a big chance that he took for me. I've been so stupid." Tears were flowing down her face as she finished her last sentence. Sadie pulled her sister into a hug trying to give her some comfort.

Kwest was on his way back to Jude and Sadie. He had spoken to Darius and he really didn't want to be the one to break the news about the tour. Sadie saw him and backed away from Jude, "Did you find out anything?"

Kwest nodded, "Yeah, I did. Apparently, Darius has set up a world tour for Tommy and he leaves tomorrow morning at 6:00am. He planned the whole thing without even discussing it with him."

Now Jude was outraged, "How could Darius do this to him? I know that a world tour would be great for his career but why would he do with talking to Tommy about it first?"

Kwest interjected, "Probably because he thought he might not want to go seeing how close that you and Tommy have gotten."

"That's crazy. I would never try to stand in the way of Tommy's career. Darius should know that," Jude was getting more and more agitated with each passing moment.

"I don't think it was just Tommy's career that he was concerned with Jude. You have an album to finish and Darius wants it to be perfect or you might not get another chance," remarked Kwest.

It was all starting to become clear to Jude. Darius was making sure that his artists would do exactly what he wanted by threatening their careers. He knew that Tommy and Jude wouldn't do anything to jeopardize each other's chance at success. But what Darius didn't know was that not even a world tour could come between two people who were so strongly connected to each other.

Finally, Tommy had decided to go to his apartment. He had a lot of packing to do and needed to get started. However, Jude was really all he could or even wanted to think about. He wondered when she would get his message. He wanted it to be soon, it was driving him crazy. He had to at least speak to her before he left.

While Tommy was busy gathering everything together to take on his extended trip, Jude was trying to get away from the party. She had to find Tommy, she had to let him know that she wasn't afraid anymore. She wanted to be with him and nothing else mattered.

Jude looked at Kwest, "Where does Tommy live? I've got to see him before he leaves." Kwest knew that there was no need to argue to try to persuade her otherwise, "I'll take you to his house. Just give me a few minutes to take care of some business." Jude asked him to hurry as fast as he could.

Sadie was concerned for her little sister, "What are you going to say to him?" That was a good question.

Jude hadn't really thought of what she was going to say, "I'm not sure yet, I just have to see him and let him know how I feel. I can't let him leave without seeing him one more time before he goes."

Kwest came back quickly and asked Jude if she was ready to go. Jude looked at Sadie for encouragement, "Go on Jude, just tell him what's in your heart. You can do it."

Jude wanted to believe that, "Okay, I'm going but can you tell Spied that I won't be needing a ride back home." Sadie had already taken care of Spied, she had already told him earlier that she would probably be taking Jude home, so that was one less thing for Jude to have to worry about.

It took a few minutes for the parking attendant to bring Kwest his car. Jude was starting to get impatient, "How long does it take? Time is ticking away. Can't they tell that we are in a hurry?"

Kwest tried to calm her, "The guy will be back with the car in just a minute. Don't worry. I'll get you to Tommy before he leaves."

The last time Jude looked at a clock it was already 3:00am, and she had no idea what the time was at the moment. She didn't understand why Darius liked to start his parties so late at night. But she really didn't understand anything else about Darius either.

Kwest's car was finally brought around to the front of the apartment building. "Thank God, it wasn't an emergency or anything," Jude shouted as she got into the passenger's seat. Kwest almost laughed but was stopped short by Jude's icy glare.

Time seemed to pass by so slowly as Kwest was driving Jude to Tommy's place. The ride was very quiet because Jude was trying to figure out what she was going to say to Tommy. As for Kwest, he had no idea of what to say in this kind of situation.

Kwest decided to take a short cut to Tommy's place. He thought the back roads would be pretty much deserted this early in the morning. He was making really good time until he came upon line of cars that didn't seem to be moving. Jude eyes were full of worry, "What's going on? Where are we?"

"It's probably just a short delay. We'll be moving again in no time. We are just a few miles from Tommy's house," Kwest replied. Jude looked at the long line of cars that were in front of the them, and noticed that there was a line that had formed behind them as well. This caused her to get have a very ill feeling in the pit of her stomach. It seemed to be an indication that the line wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

Several minutes went by and not a single car had moved. Jude had left her cell phone at home and Kwest's phone couldn't get a signal. So it was impossible for Jude to call Tommy or anyone else for that matter. Kwest decided to turn on the radio and turned it to a local news station. It took a few minutes but there was finally a report that said a horrible accident had occurred on the road they were on and that long delays were expected.

Jude felt like screaming. How could this happen to her? This was becoming the best and the worst night of her life all at once. The night was amazing because of the passionate moment she spend with Tommy and the song he sung had definitely melted her heart. On the other hand, she had acted terribly to the man she loves and now she was stuck in traffic with no way to get in touch with him.

Kwest sensed Jude's feelings of hopelessness, "You should know that Tommy really cares about you. You are all he thinks about or talks about. He lives and breathes Jude Harrison."

A reluctant smile came across her face, "Thanks, Kwest. I needed that. I just want to apologize to him for the way I acted earlier. I was scared and stupid."

That last comment made Kwest chuckle, "It's going to be okay, Tommy's not going anywhere. Well, emotionally anyway."

The mood in the car had changed for the better. Kwest kept Jude's mind occupied with stories about Tommy in his younger days. He told about what Tommy was like before Boyz Attack and even told a few crazy tales about being on tour with him. Although, Kwest was helping, Jude still felt like time was slipping away from her.

Two hours had passed before the cars began to move. It was 5:30 in the morning and Tommy was heading out the door. He wondered why Jude hadn't called him. He decided to go to her house and see if something happened. Surely, there was a reason that she didn't call.

As the same time that Tommy was driving to Jude's house, Kwest was pulling in at Tommy's house. When they pulled into the driveway and saw that Tommy was already gone Jude began to cry. "He's already gone. I can't believe it. I just………"

Kwest interrupted Jude, "He may not be gone yet. Let's get you to G Major, I bet the tour bus hasn't left yet." Kwest pulled out and headed toward G Major.

Tommy parked his car and ran to Jude's door. He was ready to ring the doorbell when Sadie jerked the door open, "Tommy? Where's Jude?"

Tommy was confused, "What are you talking about? She isn't here?" Now Sadie was worried, "She left the party with Kwest hours ago. He was bringing her to your house. I just assumed she was still with you."

Sadie and Tommy had no idea where Kwest and Jude could be. Tommy pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called Kwest. But as luck would have it, the battery on Kwest's phone had went dead while they were stuck in traffic. Tommy closed the phone when the voicemail picked up, "Maybe they're waiting for me at the bus. Let's go." They hopped in to Tommy's car and made their way to G Major.

When Jude and Kwest arrived at the studio, the tour bus was still in the parking lot. Jude was relieved until she found out that Tommy hadn't shown up yet. Jude was walking around outside the bus as Kwest went inside to see if he could find him. Jude just sat down on the steps and put her face into her hands as she started to cry.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters on the show.

_**(Note: Once again, I am so sorry for the delay in updating. My life has been somewhat hectic lately. I love all the reviews. Thank you so much for reading my story.)**_

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Chapter 14: It's Not Goodbye

Just as Jude was ready to lose all hope, Tommy's car sped into the parking lot. When Jude looked up, she saw Tommy jump out of his car and run towards her. "Jude!" he called.

She stood up and moved towards him, he let out a deep breath and whispered his name. Then Tommy took her in his arms in a very emotional embrace. As he held her, Tommy could feel tears forming in his eyes. The relief of knowing that she was alright and holding her close made him ache inside. It wasn't a physical pain but more of a feeling of longing of what could be or rather what should be.

Jude was trembling in Tommy's arms, "I am so sorry Tommy about the way that I acted last night. Please say that you'll forgive me."

Tommy pulled back and held Jude's face in his hands, "Can't you already tell that you are forgiven? I thought the song might have given you a hint. I am just glad that you are here." Jude smiled, "Me too."

The two didn't talk about what happened over the past few hours. They stood there looking deep into each other's eyes. The look of love was mirrored in their eyes, along with a hint of heartache. Both of them could not escape the thought of how long it would be until they got to see each other again. How long would it be until they could hold each other again?

"I want you know that the reason I acted the way I did was because I was afraid. I just had a hard time believing that you really wanted to be with me. I didn't believe that I could be enough for you," Jude's voice was full of regret for her actions.

Tommy couldn't believe his ears, "Jude, how could you think that? In my eyes, you are the most beautiful, the most talented, and the most real person that I have ever met. I would say that you have stolen my heart, but that wouldn't be true. I have very gladly given it to you and I won't ever be asking for it back."

Those words made Jude's heart flutter, "I feel like I am in dream. I never knew that love could make you feel this way." Jude bit her lip when she realized what she just said.

Tommy saw this and spoke quickly, "Did you say love? Is that was this is?" He tried to make an attempt at humor.

Jude's face flushed red with embarrassment, she tried to turn her head but Tommy gently placed his hand on her cheek causing her to meet his gaze. "Jude, I was just playing with you. I know that I love you more than I ever anticipated loving anyone. I didn't believe that I would or could, for that matter, feel what I feel for you. You have become my world."

Tears were now falling in a steady stream down Jude's face, "I love you so much Tommy. Please don't ever doubt that no matter how stupid I behave. You have shown me that love is worth taking the risk. I trust you with my heart. I know you won't break it."

It was then that Tommy pulled Jude's face closer to his and touched his lips to hers. The kiss was so pure and so full of passion and love and pain. This was a beautiful, gut-wrenching, heartbreaking display of emotions of two people who yearned for each other and were about to be separated. It was an extremely romantic scene, yet filled with an overwhelming sadness.

"I don't want to let you go, I don't want to say goodbye," Jude said as she leaned in to kiss Tommy once more. As the kiss ended, Tommy drew Jude to him as close as he possibly could. He held on to her with all the strength he could muster. How could he walk away from the love of his life? He didn't want to, but he was forced to leave her, at least for the time being.

The time had come for Tommy to board the bus. Jude walked him to the door and Tommy turned to her once more to say these words, "Things will be different for us when I get back. I promise that we'll be together. Remember, Jude, it's not goodbye. It's I'll see you later."

Jude said with her voice shaking, "See you later." Tommy kissed the lips of his true love one last time and stepped onto the bus.

It was extremely hard on Jude and Tommy being apart for so long. Tommy did have his tour to concentrate on and Jude had her second album to finish. The two never went a day without some type of communication between them. Whether it was a phone call or a text message, Jude and Tommy made sure to tell each other everyday just how much they loved each other.

Usually distance in a relationship can cause separation. This seemed to have the opposite effect between Jude and Tommy. They focused on getting to know each other through their conversations. Their connection went much deeper than anyone could have ever imagined.

There were many girls who had tried to get Tommy's attention while he was away on tour. But none could lure him away from the woman who was waiting for him to come home to her. He was never once tempted to stray. He knew that the type of love that he shared with Jude was too rare a find to risk destroying it.

Even Spied had finally gotten a clue. He could see that there was no chance that he and Jude would ever be together. There was only person in the world for her and that was Tommy Quincy. He never told Jude how he felt, and he thought it was best to keep it that way. He really did want her to be happy and he could see that she was.

Jude had a hard time focusing on singing for awhile after Tommy left. It was almost as if she had lost the courage and the passion for singing. She finally was able to finish the album when Tommy got through her. He didn't want her to mess up her career just because she missed him. He told her to snap out of it and get to work. He wanted to come back and celebrate the release of her album with her and it would only be possible if she finished it. So she did and it was an outstanding success.

The tabloids speculated that Tommy and Jude were an item but could never get any information confirmed. Darius saw to that, he was adamant on keeping their relationship under wraps until Tommy returned from his tour. And as everyone knows, what Darius wants, Darius gets.

The time that Tommy and Jude spent apart did not go by quickly. It was like the months, weeks, days, hours, and minutes were being used as a device of torture for the couple. Each passing day was getting harder and harder than the one before.

Tommy was getting tired and he wanted to come home and be with Jude. When he suggested ending the tour early, Darius actually added a few more dates. Every time Jude tried to take time off to go see Tommy, Darius planned concerts and speaking engagements to keep her occupied. He was persistent to say the least.

Being apart is never easy on a relationship. Some people may even decide to give up. That was not an option for Jude or Tommy. The love they felt for each other was so strong that not even time or the distance between them could tear it apart. Both Tommy and Jude knew that their love could overcome any obstacle that came their way.

Tommy had been gone for months and had only seen Jude's face through the wonderful use of video conferencing. At least he did get to see her face. He had missed so much while he was gone but something was coming up that he absolutely wouldn't miss. Jude was turning eighteen and Tommy was coming home.

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**_I know that this was a short chapter but hopefully I will make it up to you with the next one. Jude's birthday will definitely be memorable._**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or any of the characters on the show.

**_(Note: Thanks you once again for the reviews. I love everyone for reading my story.)_**

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Chapter 15: Jude's Eighteenth Birthday

Jude almost found it hard to believe that this day had finally arrived. Today was her eighteenth birthday and the day that she would finally get to see Tommy face to face after months of being away from him. It was the best birthday present that she could ever hope for. It was her wish and she knew that it would come true. Tommy wouldn't let her down. He promised he would be at her party tonight.

Darius decided to throw Jude a birthday party at a new club he had just purchased. It was called _Club Maestro_. Darius definitely knows how to mix business with pleasure. Jude's party would give him great publicity and make him appear to actually care about his artists.

Sadie was enlisted to help Jude get ready for the party. Once again she helped Jude pick out the perfect dress. The dress they picked out was stunning. It was a floor length red dress that hugged Jude's curves in all the right places. Her blonde hair was curled with loose waves framing her face.

Jude looked at her image in the mirror and couldn't help but feel self-conscious, "Do you think Tommy will like it?"

Sadie almost wanted to smack her sister, "Are you serious? You look gorgeous and Tommy will definitely have to pick his tongue up off the floor when he sees you."

With a smile, Jude said, "That is the exact look I was going for." The sisters laughed. But then Jude became serious, "I get to see him, Sadie. Tonight, I get to see Tommy, face to face for the first time in months. I want the night to be perfect. He deserves that."

Sadie corrected her sister, "You both do Jude. This is your night and I have a feeling that it will be everything you want and more."

As soon as Sadie and Jude were ready they came downstairs. Then they went out the door to get into the limo that had arrived to pick them up. At least Darius was bringing Jude to the party in style. The guests were told they the party would start around 8:00 and Jude would make her entrance shortly thereafter. Tommy's plane was set to land at 8:30, so if he timed it right, he should arrive at the party by 9:00.

The limo pulled up to club and Jude stepped out into an immediate storm of flashing lights. The paparazzi were out in full force tonight. Darius received the message that Jude had arrived and he stepped up to the microphone to announce the guest of honor.

Jude walked into the club to hear cheers coming from her friends and family. Everyone she loved was there, well everyone except Tommy and he would be there soon. Jude could hardly contain her excitement. This was going to be a wonderful night, she just knew it.

The music started to play and everyone began to dance. Stewart, Jude's father, stepped forward and asked her to dance. She smiled and said yes. It had been a long time since Jude had danced with her dad. For a moment, she felt like a little girl again, dancing with her dad in the living room of their house. She really loved her dad and was so happy that he was able to be there for her tonight.

It wasn't long until everyone was eating, drinking, and dancing. A good time was being had by all, until Jude realized how quickly the time had passed. Her watch said 9:30, where was Tommy? He was supposed to be there by now.

Tommy's plane had experienced a short delay and he had planned a surprise for Jude. That is why he hadn't called her when the plane landed. He was on his way to the party. In less than five minutes he would be at the club and in the presence of the woman he adored.

Spied noticed Jude's pained expression. He asked to her dance, and she reluctantly accepted his invitation. Spied tried to make conversation, "I wanted to wish you a happy birthday Jude. I really haven't got a chance to speak to you tonight."

Jude gave a semi-smile, "Thanks Spied."

"I can tell that you are worried Jude, but you shouldn't be he will be here. That guy wouldn't miss your birthday. I know I gave you guys a hard time for awhile but now I see that you belong together," Spied was speaking these words as Tommy was walking on stage to prepare to give Jude her surprise.

Tommy caught Spied's eyes and shook his head to let him know not to let Jude know he was there just yet. He wanted to see her reaction when she turned around to see him standing on the stage. Tommy instructed the DJ to fade out the song he was playing and put in the soundtrack he had sent over to him.

Jude never even notice the song had stopped, she was too busy wondering where Tommy was. Spied gave Tommy a look that said what I am supposed to do now. Tommy motioned for him to keep Jude from turning around. Tommy then took the microphone into his hand and spoke the following words, "Jude, I love you with all of my heart and this song is for you. Happy Birthday."

Jude turned around to stare into the most beautiful blue eyes in the world. Tommy motioned her to come up on stage and sit in the chair he had placed beside of him. Jude took her seat and Tommy looked into her eyes, the music started to play and Tommy began to serenade the birthday girl:

_This time, This place_

_Misused, Mistakes_

_Too long, Too late_

_Who was I to make you wait_

_Just one chanceJust one breath_

_Just in case there's just one left_

_'Cause you know,you know, you know_

_That I love you_

_I have loved you all along_

_And I miss you_

_Been far away for far too long_

_I keep dreaming you'll be with me_

_and you'll never go_

_Stop breathing _

_ifI don't see you anymore_

_On my knees, I'll ask_

_Last chance for one last dance_

_'Cause with you, I'd withstand_

_All of hell to hold your hand_

_I'd give it all_

_I'd give for us_

_Give anything but I won't give up_

_'Cause you know,you know, you know_

_So far away_

_Been far away for far too long_

_So far away_

_Been far away for far too long_

_But you know, you know, you know_

_I wanted I wanted you to stay_

_'Cause I needed_

_I need to hear you say_

_That I love you_

_I have loved you all along_

_And I forgive you_

_For being away for far too long_

_So keep breathing_

_'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore_

_Believe it_

_Hold on to me and, never let me go_

_Keep breathing_

_'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore_

_Believe it_

_Hold on to me and, never let me go_

_Keep breathing_

_Hold on to me and, never let me go_

_Keep breathing_

_Hold on to me and, never let me go_

As soon as Tommy finished the last note, Jude jumped into his awaiting arms and kissed him. The crowd in the club went wild. They were screaming and cheering. Tommy broke from the kiss momentarily to pull Jude backstage where they could be alone, "Now where were we?" Jude pressed her lips to Tommy and kissed him with all the passion that had been building inside of her for months.

Tommy was blown away by the intensity between them. He knew the moment they touched would be electric but he had no idea that he would be forced to try and control himself in a public place. When they finally broke the kiss, both of them had to catch their breath. But it was Tommy who was the first to speak.

"You look magnificent tonight Jude. You never cease to take my breath away. I want you to know that I meant everything that I said in the song. I'd do anything for you, because I love you. I never want to be apart from you again."

Jude was captivated by the words Tommy has just spoken to her. There he was standing in front of her and declaring his earnest love for her. How did she get so lucky? She took a deep breath before speaking, "I missed you so much. I love you with more than just my heart. My very being has been overtaken by the sheer force of my love for you. I can't live without you and I don't want to be away from you anymore."

Tommy grabbed Jude's arm and starting pulling her towards the door. "Where are we going?" she asked. Tommy gave her a look that made her understand exactly where they were going. They continued to sneak out the back door and then got into the limo. Sure, they were leaving the party without so much as a word to anyone but it was safe to say that everyone would get the hint. Tommy and Jude hadn't seen each other in a very long time. She was now eighteen, it didn't take a genius to figure out where they were going.

Inside the limo, Jude and Tommy couldn't keep their hands off each other. This was the first time they had actually been alone together and be able to give in to exactly what they were feeling. It was more than just making out, these two were making up for months of lost time.

The limo pulled up to Tommy's house and he quickly jumped out. He practically dragged Jude in the front door and upstairs. Once inside Tommy's bedroom, the two continued what they that had started in limo. It wasn't long before they moved to the bed.

There was a fire that burned inside both of them. It consumed them to the point of where neither of them could hold back any longer. They shared the most beautiful moment that two people in love could share with each other. Tommy was gentle and Jude was nervous. That night they connected in a way that was beyond words. They were in love and they were together. This was the way it was meant to be.

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**_I just wanted to let everyone know that the next chapter will be the last chapter. It is an epilogue that will tell you what happens with Jude and Tommy in three years._**

**_Please take the time to review if you can._**


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star or the characters on the show.

**_(Note: Here it is! This is the last chapter of my fanfiction. Please read with an open mind. There is an author's note at the end.)_**

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Chapter 16: Three Years Later (The Epilogue)

Jude and Tommy have now been together for three years. Their relationship has had its ups and downs. But there were a lot more ups than there were downs. They had their fair share of arguments but none that lasted very long. Their love saw them through anything that came across their path.

They were rarely ever apart either. Their schedules were always planned out so that they never had to spend more than a few days away from each other. They even went on tour together. These two were definitely inseparable. They had been living together ever since Jude's eighteenth birthday.

Speaking of birthdays, it was time for Jude's twenty-first. Tommy had a wonderful day all planned out in the country. He had bought an engagement ring and today was the day, he would ask the most phenomenal woman in the world to be his wife.

Tommy left work early to pick up Jude. He didn't even have time to get out and open the car door for her. She was so excited that she ran and jumped into the car and slammed the door shut. Tommy kissed Jude and then whispered, "Happy Birthday. I love you."

Jude whispered back, "I love you, too." Then Tommy put his car into gear and started off on the day's adventure. Time seemed to pass by so quickly. It wouldn't be long until they reached their destination. Jude looked out the window to admire her surroundings.

It was a beautiful winter day, the snow was falling all around as the happy couple were riding down an isolated country road. Jude had never felt so content in her entire life. It seemed as if everything was finally going her way. She was in love with the most amazing man she had ever met and she was hoping that tonight would be the night that he would propose to her.

Jude was lost in her thoughts when the car began to spin out of control. The temperature had dropped and the snow had turned to ice. Images of her life began to flash before her eyes. She saw herself as little girl, a teenager, then as a rock star. She even saw herself as she was falling in love with Tommy. Then everything went black.

The car had skidded off the road and hit a tree. The car was badly crushed on the passenger side. Tommy was shaken up and his body ached. He shook his head wearily as he tried to focus his eyes. He looked over to his right and saw Jude badly mangled between the dashboard and her seat. He spoke to her but she didn't answer. Tommy saw blood streaming from her forehead. He called 911 and they said they would send help immediately. Barely a second after he hung up the phone, Tommy passed out.

Later when Tommy awoke, he was laying in a hospital bed with a cast on his right leg. He chest ached from broken ribs and his head pounded from a concussion. His eyes had trouble focusing but he could see someone sitting in his room.

He squinted and could barely make out that it was Sadie, "Where's Jude? Is she okay?"

Sadie got up and came to Tommy side, "I'm so sorry Tommy. Jude's gone. She didn't make it."

Tommy felt like the life had been drained from his body. It couldn't be true. The woman that he loved and that he was going to spend the rest of his life with couldn't be dead. A rush of tears flowed from his eyes, he screamed, "Oh My God, it's all my fault. I never should have taken her out to the country on a snowy day. I should have know better. She's dead because of me. Why? Why her? Why not me? I would take her place in a heartbeat if I could Sadie, please believe me."

Sadie could tell that Tommy was serious. She cried as she tried to comfort him, "I know that you loved her more than anything. You would never have done anything to hurt her. Accidents do happen. But she didn't suffer, the doctor said that it was instant. She felt no pain."

Those words were no comfort to Tommy. At that moment, he wished he were dead too. He asked Sadie if he could be alone for awhile. She nodded and said that she had to go and plan the funeral. It was going to be in two days in the church where Tommy was planning to ask Jude to marry him. It was the church that he had hoped they would get married in.

Tommy was released from the hospital the next day. Kwest drove him home, then Tommy asked him to leave. He wanted to be alone. Tommy only had one day to prepare himself for the most dreaded day of his life. The day that he would have to say goodbye to Jude forever. It was then that he had a thought, he grabbed a piece of paper and began to write. Then he wadded it up and threw in on the floor. This happened over and over again until he had exactly what he wanted on the paper. He laid his head down on his desk and fell asleep from pure exhaustion.

The next day he woke up and got dressed. Kwest picked him up and drove him to the church. Not a word was spoken until they got to the church, then Kwest said to his friend with tears in his eyes, "I'm so sorry Tommy. Please know that I am here for you."

Tommy patted his friend on the back and nodded his head. Then holding on to his crutches Tommy made his way to the front pew of the church.

The minister gave a sincerely touching speech about how life can be gone in matter of seconds. He talked about what a talented, loving, and giving person Jude was. When he was finished, he asked if there was anyone who wanted to say a few words about Jude.

Tommy grabbed his crutches and stood up, "I would." The crowd was extremely surprised that Tommy would have the strength to say anything today. Everyone could see the anguish he was in. The pain that he felt was so evident.

It took him a minute, but Tommy made his way up the steps and stood behind the alter. He looked up and breathed in deeply and then he gave the most beautiful speech about the woman that he loved:

_**The past three years of my life have been so full of love and happiness. I don't regret a single day that I spent with Jude. Loving her was the best thing that I have ever had the pleasure of doing. She changed me in ways that I never thought possible. There was never a day that I doubted her love. She made my world a brighter place and I will always be grateful to her. She made believe that forever was possible and it is. I know that I will love Jude Harrison for the rest of my life. My heart will belong to her forever because this isn't goodbye, it's just I'll see you later.**_

There was not a dry eye in the church that day. Little did the people in the congregation know that would be the last time they ever saw Tommy Quincy. After the funeral, he packed his bags and left town. No one ever knew where he went but everyone knew that one thing was for certain. Tommy Quincy and Jude Harrison had shared a deeper love than anyone could ever comprehend, a love that time could not erase and even death could not cease.

The End

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**_Author's Note:_**

**_I know that this story probably didn't end like you may have expected. This wasn't how I intended to end this story but as I was writing the last chapter, this ending just kind of flowed from my brain to the computer screen. I have to be the first one to tell you that I sobbed while writing this last chapter. It was really hard to write because I truly love this characers. And as we all know sometimes in life, there are tragedies to overcome. In the future, I might just write another story explaining what exactly happened to Tommy._**

**_It has occured to me that some people read stories and don't review and that's okay. But since this is the last chapter, if there is anyone who has read and not reviewed, this might be a good time to voice your opinion. I really do appreciate everyone for reviewing and taking the time to read my story._**


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